The report of another case of sexual abuse of minors by Catholic priests - this time in the United States - has contributed to increase the pressure on Pope Benedict XVI.
Here is a summary of the most recent scandals in several countries.
USA
On Thursday, the newspaper "New York Times" broke the news that, in 1996, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who later became Pope Benedict XVI in 2005, did not respond to letters from American clergy accusing a priest of the State of Wisconsin of sexually abusing minors.
Father Lawrence Murphy, who died in 1998, is suspected to have abused up to 200 boys at a school for the deaf between 1950 and 1974.
One of the alleged victims told the BBC that the pope knew of the allegations for years, but took no action.
In the last two decades, the Catholic Church in the United States - especially the Archdiocese of Boston - was involved in a series of child sex abuse scandals.
One of the more shocked population came out a few years ago when it was revealed that two Boston priests, Paul Shanley and John Geoghan, were involved in cases of abuse in the 90s and were allegedly covered up by Church leaders, that the transferred from parish to parish.
In 2002, the then Pope John Paul II convened an emergency meeting with American cardinals, but new scandals emerged.
Archbishop Bernard Law eventually resigning the post at the end of that year, and in 2003, the Archdiocese of Boston agreed to pay $ 85 million after receiving more than 500 processes for abuse and failure.
A report commissioned by the Church in 2004 found that more than 4000 American priests faced allegations of sexual abuse in the past 50 years in cases involving more than 10,000 children - mostly boys.
In 2008, on a visit to the United States, 16 Benedict met victims of abuse and said "pain and damage" caused.
Germany
Since early 2010, at least 300 people in Germany have accused Catholic priests of sexual or physical abuse.
The allegations are being investigated in 18 of the 27 dioceses of the Catholic Church in the homeland of Pope Benedict XVI.
Among the charges is the abuse of over 170 children by priests at Jesuit schools, as well as cases in a boys choir directed for 30 years by Monsignor Georg Ratzinger, brother of Pope.
In March, Father Peter Hullermann, who was convicted of child molestation while serving in the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising, was suspended from his duties after breaching a ban on working with children.
In the last 22 days, the new diocese of Regensburg confirmed charges against four priests and two nuns in cases that would have occurred in the 70s.
The German government then announced that it will form a committee of experts to investigate all charges.
Ireland
Last year, two papers that examined allegations of pedophilia among Irish clergy relevaram the depth of the problem in the country, with cases of abuse, cover-ups and hierarchical failures involving thousands of victims over several decades.
One of the documents showed that four archbishops of Dublin turned a blind eye to cases of abuse that occurred between 1975 and 2004.
Four bishops have resigned and the entire hierarchy of the Irish Church was called to the Vatican to testify in person before the Pope Benedict XVI.
In the midst of this, a new scandal broke this March with the information that the head of the Irish Catholic Church, Cardinal Sean Brady, was present at meetings in 1975 where children made a vow of silence over complaints against a pedophile priest, Brendan Smyth.
Days later, on March 20, 16 Pope Benedict apologized to victims of sexual abuse by clergy in Ireland, but did not mention complaints in other countries.
Netherlands
Also in March, the Dutch bishops ordered an independent investigation before more than 200 allegations of sexual abuse of children by priests, and three cases occurred between 1950 and 1970.
Initially, the charges involved the school of Don Rua monastery in the eastern Netherlands.
The scandal has raised tens of new allegations of alleged victims in other institutions.
Italy
In January 2009, several men became public hearing impaired to say they were abused when they were children at the Institute for the Deaf Antonio Provolo in the city of Verona, between 1950 and 1980.
At the end of last year, news agency Associated Press obtained a written statement by 67 former students of the school naming 24 priests and other religious who accused him of sexual abuse, pedophilia and corporal punishment.
The diocese of Verona said he intended to interview the victims, after a request from the Vatican.
Austria
Independent charges of child sexual abuse by priests emerged in several regions of the country.
After one of the scandals, five priests in a monastery Kremsmuesnter were suspended.
In Salzburg, the head of a local monastery resigned after confessing to having abused a boy 40 years ago, when he was a monk.
Switzerland
A committee formed by the Conference of Bishops of Switzerland in 2002 has been investigating allegations of abuse involving religious country.
This month, a committee member, Abbot Martin Werlen, said in an interview that about 60 people made accusations about cases that have occurred in the last 15 years.
A priest in the canton of Thurgau was arrested in the last 19 days on suspicion of sexual abuse of minors.
Source: http://g1.globo.com/Noticias/Mundo/
Here is a summary of the most recent scandals in several countries.
USA
On Thursday, the newspaper "New York Times" broke the news that, in 1996, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who later became Pope Benedict XVI in 2005, did not respond to letters from American clergy accusing a priest of the State of Wisconsin of sexually abusing minors.
Father Lawrence Murphy, who died in 1998, is suspected to have abused up to 200 boys at a school for the deaf between 1950 and 1974.
One of the alleged victims told the BBC that the pope knew of the allegations for years, but took no action.
In the last two decades, the Catholic Church in the United States - especially the Archdiocese of Boston - was involved in a series of child sex abuse scandals.
One of the more shocked population came out a few years ago when it was revealed that two Boston priests, Paul Shanley and John Geoghan, were involved in cases of abuse in the 90s and were allegedly covered up by Church leaders, that the transferred from parish to parish.
In 2002, the then Pope John Paul II convened an emergency meeting with American cardinals, but new scandals emerged.
Archbishop Bernard Law eventually resigning the post at the end of that year, and in 2003, the Archdiocese of Boston agreed to pay $ 85 million after receiving more than 500 processes for abuse and failure.
A report commissioned by the Church in 2004 found that more than 4000 American priests faced allegations of sexual abuse in the past 50 years in cases involving more than 10,000 children - mostly boys.
In 2008, on a visit to the United States, 16 Benedict met victims of abuse and said "pain and damage" caused.
Germany
Since early 2010, at least 300 people in Germany have accused Catholic priests of sexual or physical abuse.
The allegations are being investigated in 18 of the 27 dioceses of the Catholic Church in the homeland of Pope Benedict XVI.
Among the charges is the abuse of over 170 children by priests at Jesuit schools, as well as cases in a boys choir directed for 30 years by Monsignor Georg Ratzinger, brother of Pope.
In March, Father Peter Hullermann, who was convicted of child molestation while serving in the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising, was suspended from his duties after breaching a ban on working with children.
In the last 22 days, the new diocese of Regensburg confirmed charges against four priests and two nuns in cases that would have occurred in the 70s.
The German government then announced that it will form a committee of experts to investigate all charges.
Ireland
Last year, two papers that examined allegations of pedophilia among Irish clergy relevaram the depth of the problem in the country, with cases of abuse, cover-ups and hierarchical failures involving thousands of victims over several decades.
One of the documents showed that four archbishops of Dublin turned a blind eye to cases of abuse that occurred between 1975 and 2004.
Four bishops have resigned and the entire hierarchy of the Irish Church was called to the Vatican to testify in person before the Pope Benedict XVI.
In the midst of this, a new scandal broke this March with the information that the head of the Irish Catholic Church, Cardinal Sean Brady, was present at meetings in 1975 where children made a vow of silence over complaints against a pedophile priest, Brendan Smyth.
Days later, on March 20, 16 Pope Benedict apologized to victims of sexual abuse by clergy in Ireland, but did not mention complaints in other countries.
Netherlands
Also in March, the Dutch bishops ordered an independent investigation before more than 200 allegations of sexual abuse of children by priests, and three cases occurred between 1950 and 1970.
Initially, the charges involved the school of Don Rua monastery in the eastern Netherlands.
The scandal has raised tens of new allegations of alleged victims in other institutions.
Italy
In January 2009, several men became public hearing impaired to say they were abused when they were children at the Institute for the Deaf Antonio Provolo in the city of Verona, between 1950 and 1980.
At the end of last year, news agency Associated Press obtained a written statement by 67 former students of the school naming 24 priests and other religious who accused him of sexual abuse, pedophilia and corporal punishment.
The diocese of Verona said he intended to interview the victims, after a request from the Vatican.
Austria
Independent charges of child sexual abuse by priests emerged in several regions of the country.
After one of the scandals, five priests in a monastery Kremsmuesnter were suspended.
In Salzburg, the head of a local monastery resigned after confessing to having abused a boy 40 years ago, when he was a monk.
Switzerland
A committee formed by the Conference of Bishops of Switzerland in 2002 has been investigating allegations of abuse involving religious country.
This month, a committee member, Abbot Martin Werlen, said in an interview that about 60 people made accusations about cases that have occurred in the last 15 years.
A priest in the canton of Thurgau was arrested in the last 19 days on suspicion of sexual abuse of minors.
Source: http://g1.globo.com/Noticias/Mundo/
