Rome — Retired Pope Benedict XVI requested forgiveness Tuesday for any "grievous faults" in his dealing with of clergy intercourse abuse instances, however denied any private or particular wrongdoing after an unbiased report criticized his actions in 4 instances whereas he was archbishop of Munich, Germany.
"I've had nice duties within the Catholic Church. All of the better is my ache for the abuses and the errors that occurred in these completely different locations throughout the time of my mandate," the retired pope stated.
However Benedict's lack of a private apology or any request for forgiveness was more likely to rile survivors and additional complicate efforts by German bishops to re-establish credibility with the trustworthy. Calls for for accountability have solely elevated because the church has come to phrases with a long time of sexual abuse by monks and cover-up by their bishops.
Benedict, 94, was responding to a Jan. 20 report from a German legislation agency that had been commissioned by the German Catholic Church to look into how instances of sexual abuse had been dealt with within the Munich archdiocese between 1945 and 2019. Benedict, the previous Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, headed the archdiocese from 1977 to 1982.
The report faulted Benedict's dealing with of 4 instances throughout his time as archbishop, accusing him of misconduct for having failed to limit the ministry of the monks within the instances even after that they had been convicted criminally. The report additionally faulted his predecessors and successors, estimating there had been a minimum of 497 abuse victims over the a long time and a minimum of 235 suspected perpetrators.
The Vatican on Tuesday launched a letter that Benedict wrote to reply to the allegations, alongside a extra technical reply from his attorneys who had supplied an preliminary 82-page response to the legislation agency about his almost five-year tenure in Munich.
The conclusion of Benedict's attorneys was firm: "As an archbishop, Cardinal Ratzinger was not concerned in any cover-up of acts of abuse," they wrote. They criticized the report's authors for misinterpreting their submission, and asserted that they supplied no proof that Benedict was conscious of the felony historical past of any of the 4 monks in query.
Benedict's response was much more nuanced and religious, although he went on at size to thank his authorized group earlier than even addressing the allegations or the victims of abuse.
Within the letter, Benedict issued what he referred to as a "confession," recalling that every day Mass begins with believers confessing their sins and asking forgiveness for his or her faults and even their "grievous faults." Benedict famous that in his conferences with abuse victims whereas he was pope, "I've seen at first hand the results of a most grievous fault.
"And I've come to grasp that we ourselves are drawn into this grievous fault every time we neglect it or fail to confront it with the mandatory decisiveness and accountability, as too typically occurred and continues to occur," he wrote. "As in these conferences, as soon as once more I can solely specific to all of the victims of sexual abuse my profound disgrace, my deep sorrow and my heartfelt admission of guilt."
His response drew swift criticism from the progressive reform group Wir sind Kirche (We're Church), which stated he provided nothing new and confirmed that the retired pope "nonetheless sees himself as a sufferer."
"And he's nonetheless not ready to face by the general accountability that can not be delegated, which a bishop has," the group stated.
The legislation agency report recognized 4 instances wherein Ratzinger was accused of misconduct in failing to behave in opposition to abusers.
Two instances concerned monks who offended whereas Ratzinger was archbishop and had been punished by the German authorized system however had been stored in pastoral ministry with none limits on their ministry. A 3rd case concerned a cleric who was convicted by a court docket exterior Germany however was put into service in Munich. The fourth case concerned a convicted pedophile priest who was allowed to switch to Munich in 1980, and was later put into ministry. In 1986, that priest acquired a suspended sentence for molesting a boy.
Benedict's group had earlier clarified an preliminary "error" of their submission to the legislation agency that had insisted Ratzinger was not current on the 1980 assembly wherein the priest's switch to Munich was mentioned. Ratzinger was there, however his return to ministry was not mentioned, they stated.
Benedict stated he was deeply damage that the "oversight" about his presence on the assembly had been used to "solid doubt on my truthfulness, and even to label me a liar." However he stated he had been heartened by the letters and gestures of assist he had acquired, together with from his successor.
"I'm notably grateful for the boldness, assist and prayer that Pope Francis personally expressed to me," he stated.
The Vatican had already strongly defended Benedict's report within the aftermath of the legislation agency report, recalling that Benedict was the primary pope to fulfill with victims of abuse, that he had issued robust norms to punish monks who raped kids and had directed the church to pursue a path of humility in in search of forgiveness for the crimes of its clerics.
The Vatican's protection, nonetheless, centered totally on Benedict's tenure as head of the Holy See's doctrine workplace, from 1982 till he was elected pope in 2005.
Benedict mirrored on his legacy on the finish of his letter, noting that he's on the finish of his life and can quickly be judged by God.
"Fairly quickly, I shall discover myself earlier than the ultimate decide of my life," he wrote. "Regardless that, as I look again on my lengthy life, I can have nice cause for worry and trembling, I'm nonetheless of fine cheer. For I belief firmly that the Lord will not be solely the simply decide, but additionally the buddy and brother who himself has already suffered for my shortcomings."
The top of the German bishops convention, Limburg Bishop Georg Baetzing, had beforehand stated that Benedict wanted to reply to the report by distancing himself from his attorneys and advisers.
"He should speak, and he should override his advisers and primarily say the easy sentence: 'I incurred guilt, I made errors and I apologize to these affected," Baetzing stated. "It will not work another method."
Baetzing did not instantly remark Tuesday on Benedict's response.