It is a sensational lawsuit by a victim of abuse in the Catholic Church, which is directed against Pope Emeritus Benedict, among others.
Munich/Freising/Traunstein – Based on the abuse report on the Archdiocese of Munich, a victim of abuse by a Catholic priest has filed a lawsuit with the district court in Traunstein.
It is directed against the alleged perpetrator, against the archdiocese of Munich and Freising and another former archbishop, Cardinal Friedrich Wetter.
And another prominent name is addressed in the lawsuit: Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI, Joseph Ratzinger.
Lawsuit against ex-Pope Benedict XVI: "At least accepted with approval"
According to media reports, the plaintiff is a 38-year-old man from Bavaria who was sexually abused as a child by the priest who was also accused.
The complaint is also directed against the former Pope Benedict.
It is said that Joseph Ratzinger, as a cardinal, "was aware of all the circumstances" and "at least accepted with approval that this priest was a repeat offender".
Nevertheless, the later pope reinstated the priest in pastoral care.
+
According to the indictment, Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI had "knowledge of all circumstances" (symbolic image).
© Sven Hoppe/dpa-Pool/dpa
The difficult thing is that the abuse offenses are largely statute-barred.
The victim's lawyer is now using a legal trick: Accordingly, he has filed a so-called declaratory action, with which no criminal prosecution can be achieved, but possibly a determination of the guilt of the church.
(By the way: Our Bayern newsletter informs you about all the important stories from Bavaria. Register here.)
Abuse victims sued Pope and Archdiocese: spokesman reacted
The plaintiff hopes that a secular court will determine that the then priest abused him and is therefore "obligated to compensate him for the damage," according to media reports in the complaint.
In addition, the secular court should determine the related liability of then Archbishop Joseph Ratzinger, who was aware of the priest's sexual abuses and yet reinstated him in parish work.
(fhz)
All news and stories from Bavaria can now also be found on our brand new Facebook page Merkur Bayern.
List of rubrics: © Sven Hoppe/dpa-Pool/dpa
