BishopAccountability.org
	Abuse Scandal Could Create a Crisis for Pope Benedict XVI By Victor L. Simpson Detroit Free Press March 11, 2010 http://www.freep.com/article/20100311/NEWS07/3110437/1001/NEWS/Abuse-scandal-could-create-a-crisis-for-Pope-Benedict-XVI VATICAN CITY -- Church abuse scandals in Germany have reached as far as the older brother of Pope Benedict XVI and are creeping closer to the pontiff himself. Although there has been no suggestion of wrongdoing by Benedict, the launch of an inquiry by German Catholic officials after his brother admitted slapping children years ago is stirring Vatican fears of a major crisis for the papacy. Benedict, 82, was archbishop of Munich from 1977 to 1982. He was brought to the Vatican to head the body responsible for investigating abuse cases. During that time, he was criticized for decreeing that even the most serious cases must first be investigated internally. Since then, Benedict has taken a strong stand against abuse by clerics in the Catholic Church. Just weeks before he became pope, the then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger caused a stir when he denounced "filth" in the church and among priests -- a condemnation taken as a reference to clerical sex abuse. German church officials said Wednesday that they will examine what -- if anything -- Benedict knew about abuse when he was Munich archbishop. "We do not know if the pope knew about the abuse cases at the time," said church spokesman Karl Juesten. Juesten, the liaison between Catholic bishops and the German government, said the German Bishops Conference had asked parishes and church institutions in the country to examine all allegations of sexual and physical abuse. Separately, the Regensburg Diocese said it will investigate allegations of physical and sexual abuse that have swirled around a renowned German boys' choir led by the pope's brother, the Rev. Georg Ratzinger, 86. So far, the sex abuse allegations predate his term as choir director. The pope's brother said in a newspaper interview published Tuesday that he slapped students as punishment after he took over the choir in the 1960s. Corporal punishment was made illegal in 1980. The Vatican has spoken up several times in recent days to defend the Catholic Church as having acted "promptly and decisively" in the German abuse scandal. It also noted that problems involving sexual abuse spread across society and are not limited to the Catholic Church. The pope held his weekly public audience Wednesday but made no mention of the sex abuse scandal.
Any original material on these pages is copyright © BishopAccountability.org 2004. Reproduce freely with attribution.