BBC News with Kathy Clugston.
Relatives of children sexually abused by an American Roman Catholic priest have accused Pope Benedict of failing to act over the case during the 1990s. The New York Times says Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger as he was known at the time failed to respond to letters in which the priest Lawrence Murphy was accused of molesting 200 pupils at school for deaf children between 1950 and 1974. Christ Ferrando reports.
These latest allegations suggest that the Vatican department led by the then Cardinal Ratzinger decided not to conduct church trial against Father Lawrence Murphy. This case highlights the current Pope's previous responsibilities in the church leading the Vatican department where such disciplinary cases were considered. The decision not to take action against Father Murphy, is seen as another example of the church’s desire to cover up such cases. A strategy with which Pope Benedict is now intimately associated. The Vatican has condemned Father Murphy for the abuse, but said the US civil authorities have dropped the case.
The leaders of France and Germany have agreed that the International Monetary Fund should be involved in providing a safety net for the debt burden Greek economy. The Franco-German plan was agreed at talks in Brussels ahead of European Union Summit and must to be approved by other eurozone countries. From there, ...
For the first time, the International Monetary Fund may be called in to rescue a country that uses the euro, a move which the French and others feared was undermining the single currency. To ease those fears, the deal makes clear that Germany and the rest of the eurozone would provide the lion’s share of a package estimated at around 29 billion dollars. But Chancellor Merkel insisted on tough conditions, Greece would only get help as a last resort if it can no longer borrow from financial market.