The future Pope Benedict XVI took over the abuse case of an Arizona priest, then let it languish at the Vatican for years despite repeated pleas from the bishop for the man to be removed from the priesthood, according to church correspondence.

Documents reviewed by The Associated Press show that in the 1990s, a church tribunal found that the Rev. Michael Teta of Tucson, Ariz., had molested children as far back as the late 1970s. The panel deemed his behavior — including allegations that he abused boys in a confessional — almost “satanic.” The tribunal referred his case to then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who would become pope in 2005.

But it took 12 years from the time Ratzinger assumed control of the case in a signed letter until Teta was formally removed from ministry, a step only the Vatican can take.

As abuse cases with the pontiff’s fingerprints mushroom, Teta’s case and that of another Arizona priest cast further doubt on the church’s insistence that the future pope played no role in shielding pedophiles.

Teta was accused of engaging in abuse not long after his arrival to the Diocese of Tucson, Ariz., in 1978. Among the eventual allegations: That he molested two boys, ages 7 and 9, in the confessional as they prepared for their First Communion.

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MINNEAPOLIS – A fire swept through a two-story Minneapolis building that housed several apartments and an Irish pub Friday, killing six people, including three children, authorities said

Friends and relatives said they believed those who died included a bartender who lived above McMahon’s Pub and five members of his girlfriend’s family, who had been visiting the bartender the night before.

Firefighters arrived shortly after 6 a.m. to find heavy flames and smoke pouring from the building, where the roof eventually collapsed, authorities said. The blaze began in a second-floor apartment, but the cause hadn’t been determined Friday evening, said Assistant Minneapolis Fire Chief John Fruetel.

One woman died at a hospital early Friday and the bodies of two men and three children were later recovered from the building, city and fire officials said. Shortly after removing the last body — the third child — from the ruins, authorities said they did not expect to find more victims.

While authorities did not immediately identify the victims, the bartender’s girlfriend said her mother, her brother and his three young children had been visiting the bartender, Ryan Richner, Thursday night.

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MINNEAPOLIS – Five people died and at least one remained unaccounted for Friday after a fire swept through a two-story building in Minneapolis that included several apartments and an Irish pub, authorities said.

One woman died early Friday, then three more bodies — including two children_ were recovered hours later, said Mayor R.T. Rybak. A fifth body, badly burned, was recovered Friday afternoon, Minneapolis Fire Chief Alex Jackson said. None of the dead or missing were identified.

Firefighters said the blaze broke out about 6 a.m. in the building, which includes a bar was on the first floor and apartments on the second floor.

Firefighters said they arrived to find heavy flames and smoke coming out of the building. By Friday afternoon, the roof had collapsed and firefighters were still extinguishing flare ups. Officials said it wasn’t yet clear what caused the fire.

Authorities found eight violations during a March 15 fire code inspection on the commercial part of the building. Among them, the pub’s fire alarm system hadn’t been tested in more than a year and there weren’t enough fire extinguishers, said Minneapolis Fire Marshal Bryan Tyner.

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