Vatican expresses ‘shame, remorse’ as Benedict accused of inaction in abuse cases

VATICAN CITY, Holy See — The Vatican on Thursday repeated its "shame and remorse" for child sexual abuse by Catholic clergy, after a new report accused former pope Benedict XVI of inaction in four cases in Germany.

Benedict XVI, who in 2013 became the first pope to resign since the Middle Ages, failed to stop four clergymen accused of child sex abuse in the Catholic Church in Munich, according to the law firm that conducted the probe.

The German ex-pontiff has denied the charge.

"In reiterating its sense of shame and remorse for the abuse of minors committed by clerics, the Holy See assures all victims of its closeness and confirms the path it has taken to protect the youngest, guaranteeing them a safe environment," said Vatican spokesman Matteo Bruni.

Of the independent report, he said, "The Holy See believes it must give due attention to the document, the contents of which are not currently known." This would happen in "the coming days."

Benedict, now 94, was the archbishop of Munich and Freising from 1977 to 1982. He has "strictly" denied any responsibility, said lawyer Martin Pusch of Westpfahl Spilker Wastl, which was tasked by the church with conducting the probe.

But the experts do not consider this credible, he added.

Two of the cases involved clergymen who had committed several proven acts of abuse but were allowed to continue with pastoral duties, Pusch said.

An interest in the abuse victims was "not recognizable" in Benedict, he said.

In one case, a now notorious pedophile priest named Peter Hullermann was transferred to Munich from Essen in western Germany where he had been accused of abusing an 11-year-old boy.

Hullermann was reassigned to pastoral duties despite his history.

In 1986, by which time Benedict had been transferred to the Vatican, Hullermann was convicted of molesting more children and given a suspended prison sentence.

Even after the conviction, he continued to work with children for many years and his case is regarded as a pertinent example of the mishandling of abuse by the Church.

The ex-pope has denied knowing about the priest's history, but the lawyers said they were now convinced this was not the case.

Pusch said the pope emeritus had initially shown an "defensive attitude" when responding to questions for the report. However, he later changed his attitude and gave a detailed written statement.

Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the current archbishop of Munich and Freising, was also found to have failed to act in two cases of suspected abuse. — Agence France-Presse