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Former Pope responds to accusations of mishandling child abuse — Analysis

Benedict XVI’s authorized advisors insist that he was unaware of the monks’ habits

Former Pope Benedict XVI on Tuesday issued a “heartfelt act of contrition” over any errors made in failing to stop youngster sexual abuse by clerics throughout his tenure as Archbishop of Munich and Freising. Benedict’s authorized advisors insist that he was unaware of the abuse.

On the finish of January, the Munich public prosecutor’s workplace introduced the launch of investigations into 42 instances of alleged misconduct by senior Catholic clergymen, together with Benedict, beforehand referred to as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.

In his response to the Catholic church-commissioned report, which straight linked him to 4 instances of mishandling abuse, the Pope Emeritus described his “ache for the abuses and the errors that occurred in these totally different locations” throughout his tenure between 1977 and 1982.

He admitted that, throughout many conferences with victims of sexual abuse, he had come to know that “we ourselves are drawn into this grievous fault each time we neglect it or fail to confront it with the required decisiveness and accountability, as too usually occurred and continues to occur.

I can solely specific to all of the victims of sexual abuse my profound disgrace, my deep sorrow and my heartfelt act of contrition,” he wrote.

Ex-Pope Benedict XVI knew about child sex abuse – report

The 94-year-old former pontiff confessed he had “nice purpose for concern and trembling” forward of assembly his “closing choose” — a gathering which he mentioned would occur “fairly quickly.” Nonetheless, he mentioned he remained “of fine cheer” due to his perception that “the Lord isn’t solely the simply choose, but additionally the buddy and brother.

The previous Pope’s letter was accompanied by a authorized evaluation of the German investigators’ report. Signed by Benedict’s 4 advisers, it refutes a number of claims made by the German investigators.  

It claims that in “not one of the instances analyzed” was Joseph Ratzinger “conscious of sexual abuse dedicated or suspicion of sexual abuse dedicated by monks.

The authorized consultants’ evaluation mentions that an earlier assertion by Benedict that he had been absent from an important assembly was an error — an “oversight” Benedict himself talked about in his letter.

The long-anticipated report on sexual abuse within the archdiocese of Munich and Freising recognized at the least 497 victims and 235 alleged perpetrators through the 74-year interval between 1946 and 2019.

Benedict was accused of mishandling 4 instances involving allegedly abusive monks throughout his five-years tenure as archbishop.

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