Jesuit sex abuse scandal in Germany widens

A scandal over sexual abuse by Jesuit priests in Germany in the 1970s and 80s snowballed yesterday as a third teacher confessed, more victims came forward and further schools were implicated.

In the latest revelation to rock the Catholic Church worldwide, the elite Canisius school in Berlin last week admitted systematic sexual abuse of children by at least two Roman Catholic priests.

They were named in media reports as Peter R. and Wolfgang S., who left the school in 1981 and 1979 respectively.

The head of the Jesuits in Germany revealed on Tuesday that a third priest, named in newspapers as Bernhard E., had been suspended after admitting abusing one pupil after a lawyer representing three alleged victims confronted him.

The priest taught at Canisius from 1970-1, and worked with children in schools and in other functions in other cities including Hamburg and Hanover until 1983 before helping found a charity, the German Jesuit society said.

"The cases from the 1970s in Hanover ... give rise to the fear that there were similar assaults at other places," said the society's head Stefan Dartmann.

The third priest, reportedly the holder of numerous honorary doctorate degrees and now 70 years old, has turned himself in to police. He no longer works for the charity, which has not been named.

Press reports said that close to 30 cases of abuse have now been reported including in Hamburg, Berlin, St Blasien in southern Germany and Hildesheim near Hanover.