Pope Benedict XVI Knew Of Abusive Priests When He Ran Munich Archdiocese, Investigators say
Lawyer Ulrich Wastl presented a copy of the minutes of a meeting of Munich church leaders on January 15, 1980, when a decision was made to take on an abuser the report refers to as "Priest X."
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Pope Benedict XVI knew about priests who abused children but failed to act when he was archbishop of Munich from 1977 to 1981, an inquest found Thursday, rejecting Benedict's long-standing denials.
"He was informed about the facts," lawyer Martin Pusch said, as the Westpfahl Spilker Wastl law firm announced the findings of an investigation into historic sexual abuse at the Munich Archdiocese over several decades. The report was commissioned by the church itself.
"We believe that he can be accused of misconduct in four cases," Pusch said. "Two of these cases concern abuses committed during his tenure and sanctioned by the state. In both cases, the perpetrators remained active in pastoral care."
Benedict continues to deny the allegations, the firm said Thursday. But the findings are a damning judgment on the former Pope, then known as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, which follows years of speculation about how much he knew.
He has repeatedly rejected claims that he knowingly covered-up abuse, including in 2013 when he wrote: "I can only, as you know, acknowledge it with profound consternation. But I never tried to cover up these things." CNN is contacting Benedict's long-time secretary for a response to Thursday's report.
Benedict's position was rejected by lawyers at their long-awaited press conference in Munich.
"During his time in office there were abuse cases happening," Pusch said, referring to Benedict. "In those cases, those priests continued their work without sanctions. The church did not do anything.
"He claims that he didn't know about certain facts, although we believe that this is not so, according to what we know," Pusch said.
Benedict, now 94, became the first Pope in centuries to resign when he stepped down in 2013. His tenure was overshadowed by a global sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church, and the investigators' findings -- which now directly implicate him in a failure to prevent and punish abuse -- threaten to wreck the reputation of the former pontiff.
Lawyer Ulrich Wastl presented a copy of the minutes of a meeting of Munich church leaders on January 15, 1980, when a decision was made to take on an abuser the report refers to as "Priest X."
Wastl said he was "surprised" that Benedict denied he was at the meeting, despite the minutes showing that he was. "This is something that is written down," said Wastl, later rejecting Benedict's denial as "hardly credible."
Wastl said Benedict had submitted a statement to the investigation, but gave it little credence, summarizing Benedict's position as: "You have the proof that a certain document was submitted, but you don't have the proof that I have read it."
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