Jakarta, CNN Indonesia —
Pope Benedict XVI said to have been aware of cases of child abuse by the priest when he presided over the Archdiocese of Munich, German. He held the position from 1977 to 1982.
“He has been told that fact. We believe he can be charged with misconduct in four cases,” said lawyer Martin Pusch, quoted from CNN.
“Two of these cases involve violations that occurred while he was in office and were sanctioned by the state. In two cases, the perpetrator is still actively providing pastoral care.”
This statement coincides with an announcement from law firm Westfahl Spilker Wastl on Thursday (20/1). The firm handles investigations into abuse in the Archdiocese of Munich that spanned decades.
“When he (Benedict) took office, there were cases of abuse that occurred. In these cases, the priests continued to work without sanctions. The church did nothing,” said Pusch.
“He (Benedict) claims to be ignorant of certain facts, although we believe that is not the case, according to what we know.”
Benedict then responded to this information on Thursday (20/1), voicing his sadness and shame over the abuse that took place in the church.
“As of this afternoon, Benedict XVI has not received a report from the law firm, which has more than 1,000 pages. In the next few days, he will carefully assess the text of the report,” Archbishop Georg Ganswein, Benedict’s personal secretary, told Vatican News. .
Ganswein also expressed the shame and sadness that Benedict felt over the priest’s abuse of children.
Benedict continues to deny claims he covered up the abuse case.
“I can only, you know, admit it with deep fear. But I never tried to cover up the case,” Benedict said in 2013.
Vatican response read on next page…
Vatican Response
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