BishopAccountability.org
	Norwegian Monastery Investigated on Sex Allegations By Carin Pettersson Nettavisen [Norway] March 26, 2004 A monastery in the Oslo Catholic diocese is being investigated by members of the Vatican after sexual assaults were reported. Pope Johannes Paul II’s head investigator, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, is in charge of the investigation. Ratzinger was also leading the investigation of the extensive sex assaults revealed in Boston, MA. According to the Norwegian paper VG, two representatives from the congregation of faith, formerly known as the inquisition, visited in Norway. The reason for the visit was allegation of sexual assaults by men committed against men at a catholic monastery. «This is a very serious case,» said a source to the paper. «The main goal with this investigation is most likely to find out how the alleged sexual assaults have been investigated by the church.» According to information obtained by VG, the investigation may lead to relocation of one or several central persons within the Catholic Church in Norway. The Vatican is also going to investigate if the leaders of the church failed to follow-up of these accusations. There was allegedly particularly one concrete reported case of assault that triggered the Vatican’s decision to investigate. A 24-year-old student in the monastery in question reported in May 2002 that a priest assaulted him sexually. The case was investigated and dismissed by the police in January of last year. There were strong reactions in the catholic environment that the church allegedly tried to keep a lid on the case. The priest is still practicing as a priest at the same location, while the student who claimed to be abused has left the monastery.