After the scheduled for March 28 trial of the lawsuit of an abuse victim against, among others, the late Pope Benedict XVI. has been cancelled, a new date has now been set. As the district court in Traunstein announced on Monday, June 20 was set as the new date. According to a court spokeswoman, it is unclear whether it will stay that way. It is uncertain whether the legal successors of the former Pope will have been identified by then.
In June 2022, a victim of the abuser and former priest Peter H. filed a so-called declaratory action at the Traunstein District Court. The man hopes that the court will determine that H. abused him and must therefore pay compensation. The lawsuit is directed in addition to the deceased Pope Benedict XVI. also against the former Archbishop of Munich, Cardinal Friedrich Wetter, ex-priest H. and against the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising as a legal entity.
After the death of Pope Benedict XVI. on December 31, 2022, it was initially unclear how the process would continue – because the search for a papal heir is difficult. However, all those involved had spoken out in favor of “rather postponing the date and then negotiating together” than “separating and negotiating separately” the proceedings against the possible heirs of the Pope, a court spokeswoman explained the options at the end of March before the first scheduled hearing date .
H. plays a central role in the abuse report by the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising from January 2022. In the 1990s, H. is said to have abused several children and young people in the Archdiocese of Munich, including the current plaintiff. The management of the archdiocese around the former Archbishop Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger and later Pope Benedict XVI. H. was accepted into the Archdiocese in 1980 and did not prevent him from dealing with children – although he had previously attracted attention elsewhere.