VATICAN CITY
Deutsche Welle
The Vatican has confirmed reports that former Pope Benedict XVI defrocked nearly 400 priests for child sex abuse in the last two years of his pontificate – a dramatic increase over previous years.
The Vatican revealed on Saturday that almost 400 priests had been officially stripped of their privileges and functions by Benedict XVI in the last two years of his pontificate.
“In 2012 there were around 100, while in 2011 there were around 300,” Vatican spokesman Federico Lombardi said on Saturday.
Lombardi thus confirmed a report by the Associated Press news agency, which said it had gained access to a document showing that 260 priests were defrocked in 2011 and 124 in 2012, a total of 384. This represents a dramatic increase over the 171 priests defrocked in 2008 and 2009.
The document was a file put together by the Vatican for a hearing before the United Nations on Thursday.
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