A new report found that more than 250 priest and employees in abuse of children on a 64-year period in the Archdiocese of Munich once led involved Pope Benedict were, but Church documents in the course of time prevent the destruction of full accounting of the scandal.
The report released Friday by a church appointed law firm, is the result of a six month audit the diocese's large archive as Catholic leaders see treated, or mistreated, past sexual abuse cases in the Pope's former Archdiocese.
Although similar archive searches under way elsewhere have been as a clerical abuse scandal first rocked Germany and other European countries this year, the Munich investigation has special attention because of what skeletons held there might unearth the Pope's term as then Archbishop Joseph Ratzinger, from 1977 to 1982.
In this respect the report disclosed no new bombs. Munich lawyer Marion West pole helped to perform the testing, investigators said any more documentation in the case of an abusive priest term in 1980 far in this year was reported their return to the Ministry in Munich during Archbishop Ratzinger's, could not find. Archdiocese of officials have said that the priest's return to pastoral work decision of was a subordinate and the Archbishop was not involved.
Another document was found, connect the future Pope to another case, a letter in which he refused already grant an extension to a priest, facilitated his priestly duties, because she said child abuse allegations.
The report submitted, a harsh assessment add that downplayed the Archdiocese for decades systematically and cases kept secret abuse until 2002, when German guide revised guidelines for the treatment of abuse claims. A "Significant number of undetected cases must be adopted," he said. But you would never be created, added to the report, many documents appeared in the decades intentionally destroyed or frequently stored in church officials private quarters where you could be processed.
"For these reasons, it gaps in documentation, were evident in many cases," says the report although he added that investigators had full access to the documents of the Archdiocese of available. "It was repeatedly impossible to reconstruct events."
Overall, the audit found evidence that 159 priest from 1945 to 2009 on any kind of abuse, were involved, while 26 you specifically convicted of sexual abuse. The report added that investigators found evidence, an additional 17 committed sexual abuse also priests.
In addition investigators evidence found 15 deacons and 96 religion also committed abuse, although only two ever convicted of sexual abuse were according to the report.
At a press conference to present the report Cardinal Bishop Reinhard Marx, the current Archbishop of Munich, called it an effort from the Church learn his "terrible errors and violations of the past" and asked for forgiveness for "the actions of the members of the Church."
Abuse victims advocates, but criticized the Cardinal's plea.
"Forgiveness happens after a crisis passes." "This crisis, but current is," said Barbara Blaine, a member of the survivors network of those abused by priests. "Nobody in his right mind believes that all German child molesting suspended cleric sentenced custody and was have." "Still believes someone we all know the full truth about and the extent of the decades of abuse and cover up within the Church."
Write toVanessa Fuhrmans at the vanessa.fuhrmans@wsj.com
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