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	Catholic Churches Acted 'Decisively' in Child Sex Scandals: Vatican Expatica March 9, 2010 http://www.expatica.com/de/news/german-rss-news/catholic-churches-acted-decisively-in-child-sex-scandals:-vatican_29698.html VATICAN CITY -- Roman Catholic authorities in Germany, Austria, The Netherlands and other countries reacted rapidly and "decisively" to paedophilia priest scandals in their churches, the Vatican said Tuesday. The German, Austrian and Dutch Catholic churches as well as that of Ireland have been rocked by scandal over "the very serious issue" of abuse of children by priests and teachers at Catholic schools, Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said on Vatican Radio. However, he said: "All objective and informed people know that the issue is much wider, and to focus accusations only on the Church leads to a skewed perspective. "To cite one example, Austrian authorities recently provided data showing that over the same period, there were 17 certified cases in institutions linked to the Church, while there were another 510 in other settings," Lombardi said. "The mistakes made by the institutions under the responsibility of the clergy are especially reprehensible given the educative and moral responsibility of the Church," Lombardi said. But Church authorities in the countries hit by paedophile priest scandals "showed a willingness for transparency and, in a certain way, speeded the revelations of problems by asking the victims to come forward even in very old (abuse) cases," he said. "The main ecclesiastical institutions involved... confronted the emergence of the problem rapidly and decisively," Lombardi added. Since late January, revelations of priestly abuse in Germany have snowballed, including within a boys' choir that was directed for 30 years by Pope Benedict XVI's brother Georg Ratzinger. German Justice Minister Sabine Leutheusser-Schnarrenberger on Monday criticised the Vatican for allegedly hindering investigations into abuse within Catholic institutions. The pope is preparing a pastoral letter to Irish Catholics shocked by government investigations into abuse of children. One priest admitted to sexually abusing more than 100 children, while another said he had abused minors on a fortnightly basis over 25 years.
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