RantCrush Top 5: July 19, 2017

Over the course of several decades, priests and teachers abused young boys at a German music school and kept it a secret. From 1964 to 1994, the choir director was the brother of Joseph Ratzinger, who later served as Pope Benedict XVI. A lawyer who has been investigating abuse in the Catholic Church found 547 instances of abuse of young boys; 67 instances are believed to have involved sexual abuse. Georg Ratzinger is not being personally implicated, though he is accused of punishing children by slapping them.

The most severe cases of abuse are believed to have taken place in the 1960s and 1970s and involved boys between the ages of nine and 11. Forty-nine adults, mainly priests, are alleged to have taken part in the abuse.The lawyer, Ulrich Weber, conducted interviews with victims who called the school a “prison,” “hell,” or even a “concentration camp.” There was also a strict hierarchy at the school and bullying was common.  “Many described this time as the darkest period of their lives, dominated by violence, fear, and helplessness,” Weber said. The current director of the school choir, Roland Büchner, said the school focuses more on the well-being of the children nowadays. “I sharply condemn this,” he said after the report was published. “It must never happen again.”

“Many described this time as the darkest period of their lives, dominated by violence, fear and helplessness” https://t.co/KWjkPw0iX6

— The New York Times (@nytimes) July 19, 2017

Emma Von Zeipel

Emma Von Zeipel is a staff writer at Law Street Media. She is originally from one of the islands of Stockholm, Sweden. After working for Democratic Voice of Burma in Thailand, she ended up in New York City. She has a BA in journalism from Stockholm University and is passionate about human rights, good books, horses, and European chocolate. Contact Emma at EVonZeipel@LawStreetMedia.com.