Ex-Pope Benedict XVI Ask Forgiveness For Handling Of Abuse Cases

Former Pope Benedict XVI has denied any wrongdoing over the handling of at least four cases of sexual abuse of priests when he was an archbishop in Germany, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported.

Photo Insert: Benedict, 94, noted that he had asked for forgiveness for the Church in his meetings with abuse survivors.

However, he sought forgiveness and acknowledged that errors occurred in handling sexual abuse cases when he was Archbishop of Munich and asked for forgiveness, as his lawyers argued he was not directly to blame, Philip Pullella reported for Reuters.

The Vatican issued a letter by Benedict and a three-page addendum following a report released last month on abuse in the archdiocese from 1945 to 2019 which included the alleged failure by then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger to take action in four cases when he was Munich archbishop between 1977 and 1982.

"I have had great responsibilities in the Catholic Church. All the greater is my pain for the abuses and the errors that occurred in those different places during the time of my mandate," he wrote in the letter, his first personal response to the report.

Noting that he had asked for forgiveness for the Church in his meetings with abuse survivors, Benedict, 94, wrote: "I have come to understand that we ourselves are drawn into this grievous fault whenever we neglect it or fail to confront it with the necessary decisiveness and responsibility, as too often happened and continues to happen ... once again I can only express to all the victims of sexual abuse my profound shame, my deep sorrow and my heartfelt request for forgiveness."

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