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	Future Pope May Have Stalled Sex Abuse Case TheBostonChannel April 9, 2010 http://www.thebostonchannel.com/news/23106609/detail.html BOSTON -- More digging into the past of Pope Benedict revealed a new layer to the church abuse scandal. A letter dated decades ago appears to show the pope resisting pleas to defrock a pedophile priest. The case involves a 1985 letter signed by Benedict, who was then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. The letter dealt with the proposed defrocking of Oakland, Calif., Rev. Stephen Kiesle. The letter that was signed by Ratzinger stated the investigation needed more time, and a decision to defrock Kiesle must take into account "the good of the universal church." It also theorized that removing Kiesle, who was 38 at the time, might hurt the church's image in the eyes of younger worshippers. Two years later, Kiesle was removed. The note is more fuel for critics who say the pope didn't do enough to stop the scandal. "When I went to Rome in 2003, we knew it was the Vatican on down," clergy sex abuse survivor Bernie McDade said. "Now the world is raising their eyebrows and accepting the fact that this whole institution has a problem."
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