Catholic nuns who ran a home for orphaned children in Speyer, Germany, allegedly sold children to sexual predators and priests, according to a new court report.
The scandal took place between 1960 and 1970 for over a decade.
Information into the scandal comes after a victim of the abuse filed a case against the Catholic church demanding compensation, Deutsche Welle reported.
Although the court decided to compensate for victims in May 2020, the news only came to light recently.
While the court documents have not been made public, German news Deutsche Welle reported that some children suffered abuse for years.
Priests in German city of Speyer. (Photo via Arne Dedert/AFP/Getty Images)
The report stated that nuns were key in aiding the abuse and that they brought young boys and girls to “predatory priests” for money.
The victim who filed the case, Karl Haucke, alleged in his testimony more than 1,000 instances of abuse in the decade that he lived under the nuns’ care.
German news outlet Der Spiegel reported that Haucke stated he was “dragged” by the nuns to one of the priests’ houses where he was abused. He said that if he resisted, he would be beaten.
Haucke, who is now 65, suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder. He said most of the children who were abused at the hands of the church have passed away, some by suicide, Deutsche Welle reported.
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