The report on the abuses in the Munich archdiocese incriminates Benedict XVI for not having acted in four cases

An independent report on sexual abuse of minors committed in the archdiocese of Munich released Thursday in the Bavarian capital accuses Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI of having covered up four priests who committed sexual abuse during the period in which he served as archbishop there, among 1977 and 1982. The document, commissioned by the archdiocese from a team of lawyers, indicates that Joseph Ratzinger has “strongly” denied the accusations. "We have known for years that the Church did not take sexual abuse seriously, that the perpetrators often went unchallenged and that those responsible looked the other way," Munich's Archbishop, the Cardinal Reinhard Marx, according to Efe. The report covers his mandate, which began in 2008, or that of Ratzinger,between the late 1970s and early 1980s. The spokesman for the Holy See, Matteo Bruni, issued a press release on Thursday stating that "the Vatican considers that it should give due attention to the document", but specifies that "at the moment it does not know the content".

Martin Pusch, one of the lawyers behind the report, assured at the press conference held on Thursday that two of the priests were criminally sanctioned for abuse when Ratzinger was archbishop, but both were allowed to continue working as pastors. The document indicates that they were not the object of any procedure in terms of canon law. The emeritus head of the Church showed no interest in caring for the victims, the lawyers have indicated. The 1,700-page report indicates that there is a "high possibility" that Ratzinger had knowledge of the cases, which the pope emeritus rejects.

One of the cases involving the Pope Emeritus is that of the transfer of the priest Peter H. from Essen to Munich. H. would have abused – according to an internal decree of the Munich ecclesiastical court of 2016 – children in his home diocese and was later sent to the Munich archdiocese, where he again committed assaults and was also criminally convicted. The pope emeritus said, according to the report, that the priest was just a showboat. The lawyer Martin Pusch has expressed his doubts about the alleged ignorance of the abuses by Benedict XVI.

The report, prepared by the Munich law firm Westphal Spiker Wastkl (WSW), lists a total of 497 cases of sexual abuse of minors that occurred between 1945 and 2019 and were committed by 235 alleged perpetrators, including 173 priests. According to experts, 247 victims were men and 182 women. 60% of them were between 8 and 14 years old. About 40 clerics were reinstated in pastoral work after their acts became known, 18 of them even after the corresponding convictions. Despite the high number of victims, lawyer Marion Westpfahl has said that they are convinced that the magnitude of what happened "is much greater."

Lawyers have concluded that many of the priests continued to serve after their behavior became known.

In addition to official and personnel files, lawyer Martin Pusch has assured that he and his colleagues have relied on dozens of interviews with eyewitnesses and have made efforts to obtain statements on the cases of those who held positions of responsibility in the Church.

According to the investigation, Cardinal Marx mishandled cases of abuse in at least two suspected cases. “I feel co-responsible for what has happened. I apologize on behalf of the archdiocese for the suffering inflicted on people in the space of the Church during the last decades", he explained this Thursday at a press conference, in which he recognized that the Church "turned a blind eye" to abuse cases. Marx has said that the report is an important element in the process of assimilating the abuses committed and has admitted that the archdiocese will continue to exchange information with the advisory council of victims and the independent commission. “On the one hand, it is about taking on the cases, but also about renewing and reforming the Church. The abuse crisis is and continues to be a profound shock to the Church.”In 2021, Cardinal Marx offered his resignation to the current Pope Francis. In doing so, he emphasized malpractice in the face of the abuse scandal. Francis rejected Marx's resignation.

The Vatican awaits

The Vatican has expressed this Thursday that “it will give due attention” to the document of the German archdiocese of Munich and has expressed its “shame” and “remorse” for the cases of abuse of minors by the clergy.

Bruni indicates about the report that "in the next few days, after its publication" the Vatican "will be able to see it and will be able to examine the details in a timely manner."

"The Holy See assures its closeness to all the victims and confirms the path it has taken to protect the little ones, guaranteeing them safe spaces", adds Bruni.

The Catholic Church in several countries, such as Portugal, Belgium, Germany and France, have created specific research groups on sexual abuse committed by members of the institution. In Spain, the Episcopal Conference (CEE) assures that it is investigating the 251 cases of abuse that EL PAÍS handed over to its president, the archbishop of Barcelona, ​​Cardinal Juan José Omella, although it does not specify how the investigations will be carried out and refuses to create a commission independent. Once the dossier of EL PAÍS was known, Pope Francis and Omella had a conversation. The Vatican, as it usually does when the complaints are so numerous and do not belong to a single order, diocese or specific abuser, will supervise the entire process carried out by the Episcopal Conference through the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.Rome will wait for results, which, according to its own code, should come in no more than three months.

If you know of any case of sexual abuse that has not seen the light of day, write to us with your complaint at