Over 500 boys abused in choir once run by elder brother of Pope Benedict XVI

At least 547 members of a choir once run by the brother of Pope emeritus Benedict XVI were reportedly abused by Catholic clergy in Germany over a period of sixty years, according to a report released on Tuesday.

The report counts a total of 500 cases of physical violence and 67 of sexual violence committed by a total of 49 perpetrators against members of the Regensburger Domspatzen boys choir between 1945 and 1992.

Ulrich Weber, the lawyer tasked with investigating the cases, noted that the alleged physical abuse relates to children attending both the Regensburger Domspatzen's pre-school and high school.

"The whole system of education was oriented toward top musical achievements and the choir's success," the report stated. "Alongside individual motives, institutional motives - namely, breaking the will of the children with the aim of maximum discipline and dedication - formed the basis for violence," it continued.

Crux reported that the choir was run for 30 years by Benedict's elder brother, Monsignor Georg Ratzinger.

The 93-year-old Ratzinger, who served as head of the choir from 1964 to 1994, has denied any knowledge of what went on and maintained that it was "never discussed" while he ran the choir.

He once admitted that he had occasionally slapped boys, but he insisted that he never beat them until they were "black and blue"

Weber said that while Ratzinger had no knowledge of sexual abuse, "one can accuse him of looking the other way and failing to intervene."

He noted that he was unable to speak directly to some of the former students, and he estimated that the true number of abuse victims could be as high as 700. He said that some of the victims he spoke to described their experiences at the boarding schools as "the worst time of their lives, characterised by fear, violence and hopelessness."

Weber revealed that the alleged perpetrators had been identified but they were not expected to face criminal charges as the supposed crimes were committed too long ago to be legally valid. Out of 49 perpetrators, nine were reportedly found to have committed sexual abuse, Weber noted.

According to the BBC, the 1,000-year-old choir was previously rocked by allegations of widespread sexual abuse in 2010, and a report released in 2016 indicated that 231 children had been abused.

Weber had criticized Regensburg Bishop Gerhard Ludwig Müller, who is now a cardinal, for the weaknesses in the initial investigation when the scandal first emerged in 2010.

The church has previously offered to pay between €5,000 (US$5,776) and €20,000 (US$23,255) to the Regensburg victims.