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Report German Church Benedict XVI “does not act on 4 cases of pedophilia in Munich”

The case report of pedophilia in the German Church from the postwar period to 2019 also impeaches Benedict XVI. The investigation carried out on the diocese of Munich reports hundreds of cases, four of which would have occurred when the pope emeritus he was archbishop of the city. According to the result of the investigation, carried out by the law firm Westpfahl Spilker Wastle on behalf of the ecclesiastical authorities, between 1977 and 1982, the then archbishop Ratzinger did not block priests accused of abuses.

235 people are responsible for abuse, 497 victims, 60% minors and most of them males. Most of the cases between the sixties and seventies. Again, like in France, where a similar investigation was done, and as the film The Spotlight case for Boston tells us, there were different ways of handling cases, but the goal was always to keep them under wraps. In cases in which Benedict XVI would have been involved, no measures were taken for two religious even though they were known.

Ratzinger rejects the charges for all four cases. The lawyers who brought his defensive brief say he made no mistake of behavior. The pontiff emeritus claimed that he was not present in a session in 1980 in which one of the cases was being discussed. “Those priests continued their work without sanctions. Ratzinger was informed of the facts. The Church has done nothing, ”said lawyer Martin Pusch.

Among the cases is that of father Peter Hullermann, who between 1973 and 1996 abused at least 23 boys aged 8 to 16. For him in 1980 there had been a diagnosis of “basic narcissistic disorder with pedophilia and exhibitionism” with a transfer from Essen to Munich. Ratzinger claims to have given the green light to the transfer, not to the return to pastoral activity.

To ask for the investigation was the same archdiocese of Munich led by Cardinal Reinhard Marx who spoke last June of a “catastrophe” in the management of abuses. In a letter of resignation to Pope Francis, later rejected, he said he was assuming “institutional responsibility” for past failures. This dossier comes after the one on the church of Cologne.

Ratzinger was the first pope to ask “pardon»Publicly for pedophilia in the clergy and also the one who gave the rules of transparency to combat abuses in the Church by extending the statute of limitations from 10 to 20 years, starting from the victim’s eighteenth birthday.

A first reaction came from the Vatican: «The Holy See believes that it must give due attention to the document whose content it does not know at the moment. In the next few days, following its publication, it will examine it and will be able to appropriately examine its details. In reiterating the sense of shame and remorse for child abuse committed by clerics, the Holy See ensures closeness to all the victims and confirms the path taken to protect the little ones, guaranteeing them safe environments ».

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