Report Faults Benedict XVI Over Handling Of Sexual Abuse Cases

Pope Benedict XVI was faulted in a report by a law firm commissioned to look into his handling of sexual abuse cases when he was an archbishop in Munich, the New York Times reported.

Photo Insert: Before he became Pope, Josef Ratzinger was the archbishop of Munich from 1977 to 1982.

The report said the former pope failed to discipline priests in at least four cases of sexual abuse accusations in Germany.

An earlier report by Femke Colborne for the Agence France-Presse (AFP) said the former pope was a central figure in the investigation by the law firm Westpfahl Spilker Wastl (WSW) will analyze how abuse cases were dealt with in the archdiocese of Munich and Freising between 1945 and 2019.

The Munich archdiocese, which commissioned the report, said it will examine "whether those responsible complied with legal requirements... and acted appropriately in dealing with suspected cases and possible perpetrators".

Ex-pope Benedict -- whose civilian name is Josef Ratzinger -- was the archbishop of Munich from 1977 to 1982. During this time, a now-notorious pedophile priest named Peter Hullermann was transferred to Munich from Essen in western Germany where he had been accused of abusing an 11-year-old boy.

Hullermann was reassigned to pastoral duties despite his history. The reformist Catholic group "Wir sind Kirche" (We are Church) called on the ex-pontiff to take responsibility for what happened while he was in charge of the Munich diocese.

WEEKLY FEATURE : MVP Group Keeps Lights On During Pandemic