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	Priest 'Abused Minors' The Times June 5, 2009 http://www.thetimes.co.za/News/Article.aspx?id=1012629 A CATHOLIC priest who presided over a well-known Johannesburg church is expected to go on trial in the Brits Regional Court in November for allegedly sexually assaulting four minor boys. The priest, who is from Germany, was placed on "administrative leave" by his church in Johannesburg, shortly after the incident. The alleged abuse is believed to have occurred at a religious camp in Hartbeespoort in February last year. The camp was organised by the church and attended by young boys from the congregation. It is alleged that the priest attempted to get into bed with the boys at their first communion training camp. The boys reported the incident to their parents. The priest, who cannot be named as he has not pleaded to the charges, joined the Johannesburg church in 2007 after leaving Germany. He appeared briefly in the Brits Regional Court on Monday and has been charged in terms of the Sexual Offences Act for allegedly assaulting the four minor s. He is presently not in police custody and was released on a warning. Father Chris Townsend, spokesman for the Southern African Catholic Bishops' Conference, told The Times that the priest lived in Cape Town but often travelled to Johannesburg. "He was put on administrative leave as soon as the parents of the boys reported the incident to the police," Townsend said. He said that when the allegations surfaced, the priest's congregation was "shocked". "It is sad when allegations of abuse of minors are made. That is not what the church is about, and it's especially hurtful to the victims," he said.
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