attitude of Benedict XVI

to the abuse report splits

Created: 2022-02-09Updated: 2022-02-09 05:12

The statement on the Munich abuse report by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.

has provoked divided reactions.

(Archive image) © Sven Hoppe/dpa-Pool/dpa

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.

has again commented on allegations from the Munich abuse report.

Many voices remain critical, some are angry - others are still fighting for their position.

Rome/Munich - Even after the new declaration by Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI.

on the Munich abuse report, the debate about the assessment of his role does not stop.

The reactions to the long-awaited statement ranged from anger and disappointed criticism to "humanly and spiritually deeply moving".

The Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK) called Benedict's apology insufficient.

It remains "relatively general," said the President of the ZdK to the newspapers of the Funke media group.

When he confesses his guilt, he does not look at his brothers and sisters and those affected.

"There is no empathy towards those affected." That is why Pope Benedict's second reaction is "unfortunately not convincing," said the president of the lay representation.

Ratzinger has been under criticism for weeks

Benedikt, the former Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, has been heavily criticized for weeks because an expert report on cases of abuse in the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising accuses him of misconduct in four cases.

He responded with a statement on Tuesday.

The Pope emeritus asked victims of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church in general - as in the past - for forgiveness.

However, he firmly rejects any concrete allegations of a cover-up.

His lawyer raises serious allegations against the Munich report.

more on the subject

"Balance sheet of terror": Expert opinion burdens Benedict

"Balance sheet of terror" - expert opinion burdens Benedikt

Canon Lawyer: Pope Benedict “clearly lied”

Several municipalities in the Bavarian homeland, in which the emeritus pope has honorary citizenship, are now struggling to deal with the culture of appreciation.

It was said in the district of Traunstein and in Freising that the expert opinion and the statements of the former archbishop of Munich and Freising would be examined intensively.

A spokeswoman for the city of Freising, where Ratzinger had studied and taught for a short time, said Benedict's new statement did not change the situation, which was unusually difficult to assess.

We will take the time to grasp, evaluate and discuss the complex subject.

In the district of Traunstein, a commission is to be set up to classify allegations and responsibilities, the district office said - it resides on Pope Benedict XVI Square.

Benedikt is an honorary citizen in Traunstein, Tittmoning and Surberg.

He lived with his family in Tittmoning for a while and part of his youth in Traunstein.

Unlike the previously published brief statement on the report, this now bears the handwriting of the Pope Emeritus, said Father Hans Zollner, a member of the Pontifical Commission for the Protection of Minors.

The letter reflects Benedict's handling of the issue of abuse.

Because he would first thank his friends – only then would it be the turn of those affected.

He places his explanation in a large theological framework without going into details.

Affected initiative is angry

The affected initiative "Eckiger Tisch" was angry: "For those affected, these types of "excuses" are really difficult to bear," it said in a statement.

""Pain and shame" - those affected can no longer hear it."

In a brief statement, Munich Archbishop Cardinal Reinhard Marx welcomed the fact that his "predecessor" spoke up - but at the same time backed the experts he had commissioned and emphasized that he took the study "very seriously".

The canon lawyer Thomas Schüller calls Benedict's explanation insufficient.

"But what is missing?

That he says: "I apologize and I take responsibility for the terrible mistakes that were made in dealing with sexual abuse during my time as Archbishop of Munich-Freising."

Declaration as "liberation strike"

The theologian, psychiatrist and best-selling author Manfred Lütz, on the other hand, called the declaration, which in his view was made somewhat late, a "liberation blow".

Without any ifs or buts, Benedict assumed political responsibility, so to speak, for the terrible things that happened there during his time as Archbishop of Munich and Freising.

For the theological director of Benedict's birthplace in Marktl am Inn, Franz Haringer, the statement is "humanly and spiritually deeply moving".

Ratzinger had "examination of conscience".

"I wish the same attitude from some who have made harsh and hasty judgments about him in the last few days." dpa