Josef Ratzinger, a.k.a. Benedict XVI, “asks pardon for abuse, but admits no wrongdoing”

… admits to “grievous faults”

When a Catholic confesses his or her sins, true contrition is required for forgiveness for those transgressions. 

Not sure if that intellectual German who served as a pontiff understands that. After being accused of crimes by a German independent group of investigators when he was a bishop there, Josef Ratzinger, the former pope, said that he had made some serious mistakes, but had done nothing wrong. 

That sounds counter-intuitive — because it is. 

A few weeks ago, the now 94-year-old’s advisers issued a release about how the former pontiff feels about the report. 

“Grievous faults”

An Associated Press story about the reaction from the ailing ex-pontiff details the reaction, 

Retired Pope Benedict XVI asked forgiveness Tuesday for any “grievous faults” in his handling of clergy sex abuse cases, but denied any personal or specific wrongdoing after an independent report criticized his actions in four cases while he was archbishop of Munich, Germany.

“I have had great responsibilities in the Catholic Church. All the greater is my pain for the abuses and the errors that occurred in those different places during the time of my mandate,” the retired pope said.

But Benedict’s lack of a personal apology or any admission of guilt was likely to rile survivors and further complicate efforts by German bishops re-establish credibility with the faithful. Demands for accountability have only increased as the church has come to terms with decades of sexual abuse by priests and cover-up by their bishops.

Benedict, 94, was responding to a Jan. 20 report from a German law firm that had been commissioned by the German Catholic Church to look into how cases of sexual abuse were handled in the Munich archdiocese between 1945 and 2019. Benedict, the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, headed the archdiocese from 1977 to 1982.

Nicole Winfield, “Retired pope asks pardon for abuse, but admits 

no wrongdoing,” Associated Press, February 8, 2022

Germans do not accept his “confession”

In comments prior to the pope’s reaction, a German bishop was critical of Ratzinger’s inaction and his constant unwillingness to accept his role in the coverup of the abuse,

The head of the German bishops conference, Limburg Bishop Georg Baetzing, had previously said that Benedict needed to respond to the report by distancing himself from his lawyers and advisers.

“He must talk, and he must override his advisers and essentially say the simple sentence: ’I incurred guilt, I made mistakes and I apologize to those affected,” Baetzing said. ”It won’t work any other way.”

Nicole Winfield, Associated Press, February 8, 2022

What his advisers were saying

However, while the ex-pope admitted to serious errors, his advisers and lawyers were attempting to retain his reputation, which has been seriously damaged by this allegation and others,

The conclusion of Benedict’s lawyers was resolute: “As an archbishop, Cardinal Ratzinger was not involved in any cover-up of acts of abuse,” they wrote. They criticized the report’s authors for misinterpreting their submission, and asserted that they provided no evidence that Benedict was aware of the criminal history of any of the four priests in question.

Nicole Winfield, Associated Press, February 8, 2022

Ratzinger was asking for forgiveness, while his lawyers were reflecting the reality that his reputation had been irreparably damaged, which is distressing to so many conservative Catholics, particularly in the U.S.