Hundreds of boys abused in Regensburg, inquiry finds

MORE than 500 pupils were physically or sexually abused by teachers at one of the oldest Roman Catholic choir schools in Germany (c. 975), the Regensburger Domspatzen [Regensburg Cathedral Sparrows], between 1945 and 2015, an independent report says. Published on Tuesday, the 440-report of an inquiry set up by the diocese to investigate allegations connected with the school, states that 547 former pupils had been slapped and beaten, including 67 who had been sexually abused. Many said that they were still traumatised by the experience, and the institution has been compared to a concentration camp. The abuse was carried by 49 individuals, the report says, nine of whom were believed to have committed sexual violence. The brother of Pope Benedict XVI, Georg Ratzinger, 93, who led the choir from 1964 to 1994, admitted in 2010 — when allegations first surfaced — that he had slapped pupils in the face, but said that he had not realised the brutality of the discipline at the time.

Pastor shot dead in Ludhiana, India

A PASTOR, Sultan Masih, was shot and killed outside his church, the Temple of God, Ludhiana, in India, on Saturday, by two motorcyclists, the British Pakistani Christian Association (BPCA) has reported. Mr Masih was rushed to Dayanand Medical College and Hospital but pronounced dead on arrival. Attacks on Indian Christians have increased since the election of President Narendra Modi in 2014, the BPCA says; and most are led by Hindu nationalists. About two per cent of the Indian population are Christians; 80 per cent are Hindus. The BPCA’s chairman, Wilson Chowdhry, said that of the attack: “It resonates with the hatred Christians face daily in a nation that is becoming increasingly polarised under Modi’s government”.

Australian Anglican numbers decline

THE number of Anglicans in Australia has fallen again in the 2016 census results, released this week. Anglicans now make up 13 per cent of the population, whereas five years ago 17 per cent were Anglicans, writes Muriel Porter. In 1966, Anglicans were 34 per cent; the figure had fallen to 20.5 per cent by 2011. Roman Catholics, at 23 per cent (down two per cent from 2011), remain the largest religious group, but they have been eclipsed by those who claim no religion: that figure is now 30 per cent, up from 22 per cent in 2011. Christianity is still the most prevalent religion: 58 per cent of the population say that they are Christian.