A report on se*ual abuse allegations in the German Catholic Church has indicted Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.
Benedict is accused of misconduct on four counts when he was Archbishop of Munich and Freising between 1977 and 1982.
The former Pope, known then as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, has denied any wrongdoing.
Dpa reports that no less than 497 victims have been counted in the study.
The majority were male children and adolescents who were targeted between 1945 and 2019.
A law firm Westpfahl Spilker Wastl (WSW) made the announcement in Munich, Germany.
The legal practitioners prepared the expert opinion on behalf of the archdiocese.
The study found that there were at least 235 alleged perpetrators, including 173 priests and 9 deacons.
It was also discovered that 40 clergymen returned to pastoral care despite allegations of perpetrating or having tolerated abuse.
