German police
have arrested a Catholic priest on suspicion of sexually abusing a
child, Der Spiegel magazine reported on its website, citing the
prosecutor's office.
The news of the arrest comes days after the Roman Catholic Church in Germany,
one of the countries worst affected in a series of abuse scandals in
Europe last year, said it would open its files to independent
investigators, allowing a search as far back as 1945.
Joachim
Geyer, spokesman for the prosecutor's office in Braunschweig, said an
arrest warrant had been issued against the priest.
The alleged victim's
mother had pressed charges, according to the weekend report on
magazine's website.
The case took
place several years ago and investigations had been running since early
July.
Police moved forward the arrest -- initially planned for next week
-- as the priest was about to go on a trip with minors organized by the
church.
The prosecutor's office was not immediately available for comment.
Some
180,000 Germans left the Catholic Church in 2010, a 40 percent jump
over the previous year, as allegations priests sexually abused children
for decades shook the faith, according to a study published in April.
The
number of people quitting the Church surpassed the total of those
leaving main Protestant churches for the first time in post-war Germany,
the study by the magazine Christ & Welt said.
German-born
Pope Benedict is due to visit his homeland in September to deliver a
speech to parliament in Berlin and tour Erfurt in eastern Germany and
Freiburg in the southwest.