Explosive report: Ex-pope Benedict “incriminated in German sex abuse cases”
… report by investigator criticizes Benedict for “failing to act”
A German child abuse scandal from more than 40 years ago has ensnared a former pope who retired after a controversial papacy.
Reports out of Germany indicate that ex-pope Benedict XVI failed to act to remove or discipline an clerical abuser who then went on and abused others.
Benedict and his predecessor, John Paul II, have been roundly criticized for allowing the Roman Catholic child abuse scandals to run rampant for decades without any ramifications for clergy or bishops.
This, however, is the first allegation that Benedict was personally involved in the coverup of sexual abuse.
Report
The report will be released today,
Former Pope Benedict XVI failed to act over four child abuse cases when he was archbishop of Munich, a German probe into the Catholic Church has alleged.
Pope Benedict, then called Josef Ratzinger, held the position from 1977 to 1982. He has denied the accusations.
But a new report into historical abuse allegations carried out by a German law firm incriminated the former pontiff.
Abuse continued under his tenure, it is alleged, and the accused priests remained active in church roles.
The former pope, now aged 94, became the first Church leader to resign in more than 600 years in 2013, citing exhaustion. Since then, he has led a largely quiet life in the Vatican City and is known as pope emeritus.
The new report from German law firm Westpfahl Spilker Wastl was commissioned by the Catholic Church.
Former Pope Benedict failed to act over abuse, new report finds
Former Pope Benedict XVI failed to act over four child abuse cases when he was archbishop of Munich, a German probe into the Catholic Church has alleged.
Pope Benedict, then called Josef Ratzinger, held the position from 1977 to 1982. He has denied the accusations.
But a new report into historical abuse allegations carried out by a German law firm incriminated the former pontiff.
Abuse continued under his tenure, it is alleged, and the accused priests remained active in church roles.
The former pope, now aged 94, became the first Church leader to resign in more than 600 years in 2013, citing exhaustion. Since then, he has led a largely quiet life in the Vatican City and is known as pope emeritus.
The new report from German law firm Westpfahl Spilker Wastl was commissioned by the Catholic Church.
“Former Pope Benedict failed to act over abuse, new report finds,” British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC), January 20, 2022
This finding places Pope Francis, who has tried to get the scandal under control, in a difficult situation. The two popes are diametrically opposed in most philosophical areas, and have a very strained personal relationship, from reports.
Should he take action?
Authorities in the Vatican are taking a wait-and-see attitude at this point,
The Vatican said in a statement that it would examine the details of the report once it had been published.
"As we reiterate the sense of shame and regret for the abuses on minors by priests, the Holy See expresses its support for all victims and it confirms the path to protect minors, guaranteed safe spaces for them," the Vatican added.
A previous report into historical abuse in Germany concluded that more than 3,600 people nationwide had been abused by clergy members between 1946 and 2014. Many of the victims were very young and served as altar boys.
The new report looking into the Munich and Freising areas specifically found at least 497 abuse victims from 1945 to 2019.
In addition to the former pope, the report criticised other Church figures, including the region's current archbishop, Cardinal Reinhard Marx. He was found to have failed to act in two cases of alleged abuse.
The cardinal already offered Pope Francis his resignation in June 2021, saying he should share responsibility for the "catastrophe" of abuse which was coming to light.
“Former Pope Benedict failed to act over abuse, new report finds,” British Broadcasting Corp. (BBC), January 20, 2022
More on this to come — and you will not see it on EWTN.
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