The head of Germany's Catholic Church has apologised to victims of child abuse by priests. After meeting Pope Benedict XVI he said the pontiff had encouraged him to press ahead with tackling the problem.

Archbishop Robert Zollitsch, head of the German Bishops' Conference, said the German Church was taking steps to investigate numerous allegations of abuse in Catholic institutions, to counsel victims and to prevent a recurrence.

The archbishop said he had briefed the Pope about the situation in Germany, where more than 100 reports have emerged of abuse at Catholic institutions, including one linked to the prestigious Regensburg choir run by the Pope's brother between 1964 and 1994. He said Pope Benedict had reacted with "great shock" and "deep sadness".

Archbishop Zollitsch, the head of Germany's 26 million Catholics, noted that Germany's child abuse scandal was not limited to the Church alone. He thanked the German government for convening a round-table on the issue for April 23 grouping Catholic and Protestant representatives, civil groups, teachers and victims.