Status: 01/20/2022 12:37 p.m
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI. was heavily incriminated in an abuse report by the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising: as the Archbishop of Munich at the time, he had done nothing against clerics accused of abuse in four cases.
An independent report on cases of abuse in the Catholic Archdiocese of Munich and Freising burdened the ex-Pope Benedict XVI. heavy. The assessing lawyers accuse him of misconduct in four cases during his tenure as archbishop (1977-1982).
Attorney Martin Pusch also pointed out that the emeritus head of the church had rejected this in all cases in a personal statement. His statement has been published with his consent with the report.
“The Archbishop Ratzinger at the time was accused of misconduct,” Martin Pusch, Westpfahl Spilker Wastl law firm
tagesschau24 11:00 a.m., 20.1.2022
According to Pusch, two cases concern priests who were criminally sanctioned under Archbishop Joseph Ratzinger for abuse, but both were allowed to continue working as pastors. No action was taken against them under church law, and “nothing recognizable” about care for their victims. From the lawyers’ point of view, Benedict’s statements offer “an authentic insight” into the personal attitude of a prominent church representative to abuse.
Pusch expressed doubts about the in some cases Benedict XVI. alleged ignorance. This can sometimes hardly be reconciled with the knowledge gained from the files.
A total of 497 victims of abuse in the Archdiocese of Munich
The external report on cases of abuse in the Catholic Archdiocese of Munich and Freising found evidence of at least 497 victims of sexualised violence. The report presented by the Munich law firm Westphal Spilker Wastl examined cases of abuse from the years 1945 to 2019 in order to find indications of systemic causes and responsibilities in the management of the archdiocese.
“Report lists almost 500 victims of sexual abuse”, Tilmann Kleinjung, BR
Tagesschau 12:00 p.m., 20.1.2022
According to the experts, 247 victims were male, 182 victims female, in 68 cases an assignment was not possible, said Pusch. 60 percent of the affected boys were between eight and 14 years old. Pusch emphasized that the numbers only covered the bright field. The law firm is assuming a much larger number of unreported cases.
In addition to the terms of office of high-ranking cardinals such as Joseph Ratzinger, the report also includes Reinhard Marx, who has been at the head of the diocese since 2008.
The 1,600-page report was actually supposed to be published last year, but the publication was postponed to January due to new findings. Marx, who did not attend the press conference to present the report, wanted to make a statement in Munich that afternoon.