Page 14 - aruba-today-20220121

a14 people & arts
Friday 21 January 2022
Report on sexual abuse in German diocese faults retired pope

By GEIR MOULSON Associ- Benedict, collapsed to-
ated Press day," he told German news
BERLIN (AP) — A long- agency dpa.
awaited report on sexual "To us, this is not shocking
abuse in Germany's Munich news," SNAP, a network
diocese on Thursday fault- representing survivors of sex
ed retired Pope Benedict abuse by clergy, said in a
XVI's handling of four cases statement. "Sadly, we see
when he was archbishop these unsavory actions and
in the 1970s and 1980s. The inactions surface years lat-
law firm that drew up the er after lengthy silence by
report said Benedict strong- church officials and painful
ly denies any wrongdoing. memories harbored by vic-
The findings were sure to tims."
reignite criticism of Bene- Benedict's longtime sec-
dict's record more than a retary, Monsignor Georg
decade after the first, and Gaenswein, said the re-
until Thursday only, known tired pope hadn't yet read
case involving him was the report but would in the
made public. coming days.
The archdiocese commis- "The emeritus pope, as he
sioned the report from law repeated many times dur-
firm Westpfahl Spilker Wastl ing the years of his pon-
nearly two years ago, with gave extensive written tes- for Ratzinger having known in 1980 in which the priest's tificate, expresses his upset
a mandate to look into timony for the report. of the priest's previous his- transfer to Munich was dis- and shame at the abuse
abuse between 1945 and "In a total of four cases, we tory, Pusch said. cussed lacks credibility. of minors committed by
2019 and whether church came to the conclusion When the church abuse "In all cases, Emeritus Pope clerics, and expresses his
officials handled allega- that the then-archbishop, scandal first flared in Ger- Benedict XVI strictly denies personal closeness and his
tions correctly. The law firm Cardinal Ratzinger, can be many in 2010, attention any wrongdoing on his prayers to all the victims,
examined church files and accused of misconduct," swirled around another part," Pusch said, and the some of whom he met dur-
spoke to witnesses. said one of the report's au- case: that of a pedophile retired pontiff cites largely ing his apostolic journeys,"
Church officials weren't in- thors, Martin Pusch. priest whose transfer to Mu- "lack of knowledge of the Gaenswein said in a state-
formed of the results ahead Two of those cases, he said, nich to undergo therapy facts and a lack of rel- ment. Benedict retired in
of publication. The current involved perpetrators who was approved under Ratz- evance under canon and 2013. Vatican spokesman
archbishop — Cardinal Re- offended while he was in inger in 1980. criminal law." But he added Matteo Bruni said the Holy
inhard Marx, a prominent office and were punished The priest was allowed to that the assertions of lack See wouldn't comment un-
reformist ally of Pope Fran- by the judicial system but resume pastoral work, a de- of knowledge were some- til it had read the report in
cis — was faulted in two were kept in pastoral work cision that the church has times "hard to reconcile" full and could give the con-
cases. without express limits on said was made by a low- with the contents of church tents "careful and detailed
Marx's predecessors in- what they were allowed to er-ranking official without files. examination."
clude the former Cardi- do. No action was ordered consulting the archbishop. Matthias Katsch of Eckiger Benedict's legacy as pope
nal Joseph Ratzinger, who under canon law. In 1986, the priest received Tisch, a group representing had already been colored
served in Munich from 1977 In a third case, a cleric who a suspended sentence for German clergy abuse sur- by the global eruption in
to 1982 before becoming had been convicted by molesting a boy. vivors, spoke of a "historic" 2010 of the sex abuse scan-
head of the Vatican's Con- a court outside Germany Another of the report's moment. "This building of dal, although as a cardinal
gregation for the Doctrine was put into service in the authors, Ulrich Wastl, said lies that was constructed he was responsible for turn-
of the Faith and later being Munich archdiocese and Benedict's claim not to here in Munich to protect ing around the Vatican's
elected pope. Benedict the circumstances speak have attended a meeting Cardinal Ratzinger, Pope approach to the issue.q

Stampede at religious ceremony in Liberia kills 29 people

By JONATHAN PAYE-LAY- — At least 29 people in Li- have died in a stampede New Georgia township of Liberian President George
LEH Associated Press beria, including 11 children of worshippers at a Chris- Monrovia was also brought Weah visited the scene
MONROVIA, Liberia (AP) and a pregnant woman, tian ceremony in a dense- in for questioning about the Thursday and declared
ly populated area of the incident, police said. three days of national
capital, Monrovia, officials The bodies have been mourning.
said Thursday. taken to the morgue of Re- "Moving forward," he said
The stampede erupted demption Hospital, close there should be regulations
when a gang of thugs to where the incident oc- on how these ceremonies,
armed with knives attacked curred in a beach area which Liberians call cru-
some of the hundreds at- called New Kru Town. sades, are conducted. The
tending the ceremony at The Red Cross has erected measures, he said, should
about 9 p.m. on Wednes- tents near the site for fami- limit the number of people
day night, police spokes- lies to come in with photos who can attend based
man Moses Carter told The to identify the bodies of on the size of the crusade
Associated Press. their loved ones. grounds. Even though "we
One person has been ar- Street gangs have become all are religious people," ev-
rested, he said. The Rev. an increasing problem in eryone should be willing to
Abraham Kromah who was Monrovia and other Libe- comply with these regula-
holding the ceremony and rian cities in recent years, tions for safety reasons, he
who runs a church in the according to residents. added.q