Former Pope Benedict to mount legal defense over abuse cover-up accusation

FILE PHOTO: Pope Benedict XVI waves for the last time from balcony of his summer residence in Castel Gandolfo, February 28, 2013. REUTERS/ Tony Gentile/File Photo

BERLIN (Reuters) - Former Pope Benedict XVI plans to defend himself in a civil lawsuit lodged at a German court by a man who accuses him of helping to cover up historical abuse, a court spokesperson said on Tuesday.

In the latest twist in a long-running scandal engulfing the Catholic Church, a so-called declaratory action was brought in June on behalf of a man, then 38-years old, who said he was abused by a priest as a child.