German courts drop investigation into Benedict XVI - CathNews New Zealand

German courts drop investigation into Benedict XVI

Thursday, March 30th, 2023

The public prosecutor’s office in Munich has officially closed a preliminary investigation into Benedict XVI concerning allegations that he covered up sexual abuse decades ago when he was cardinal-archbishop in the Bavarian capital.

The prosecutors closed the inquiry on March 21, saying they were unable to substantiate the accusations made against Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger in an independent report early last year due to lack of evidence or the statute of limitations.

Ratzinger, who was archbishop of Munich-Freising from 1977-82 before working in Rome and eventually becoming pope, was accused of making “bad decisions” regarding abusive priests in four cases of sexual abuse during his time in Bavaria.

Related Posts:

Additional reading

News category: News Shorts, World.

Tags: Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI, Mishandled sex abuse cases

Analysis and Comment
- The inheritance of Anzac Day
  
  Each year the eve of Anzac Day is given over to the International Day of Multiculturalism and Diplomacy for Peace. This year the conjunction is particularly apposite at a time when the air is full of wars and rumours of Read more
- Experts at Rome meet – delve into historical abuses of power
  
  The nature of power and how the abuse of power has been dealt with in the past and present were the focus of an international conference in Rome attended by about a dozen scholars earlier this month. Experts in history, Read more
- Gathered around the altar
  
  “Without liturgical reform, there is no reform of the Church,” Pope Francis said emphatically last February during an address to the plenary assembly of the Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments. His remarks came around the Read more
- The real cause of the war in Gaza—and the only path to peace
  
  We have already seen six months of war in Gaza. Now, it seems that Israel is beginning its last phase of conquest, after ordering a million and a half people to take refuge in Rafah, a border town with Egypt. Read more

Search CathNews

Search for:
CathNews
is free

First Name:

Last Name:

Email:
Great Reads