Wednesday, July 8, 2026

Sexual Abuse: Ex-Pope Benedict apologises to victims, denies wrongdoing

“I have borne great responsibility in the Catholic Church. My pain is all the greater for the misdemeanours and errors…”

• February 9, 2022
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI
Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI

Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI on Tuesday sought forgiveness from victims of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church but rejected allegations that he was involved in any cover-up.

“I have borne great responsibility in the Catholic Church. My pain is all the greater for the misdemeanours and errors that occurred during my terms of office and in the places concerned,’’ he said in a statement released by the Vatican.

A report prompted by sexual abuse allegations in the German Catholic Church accused the pope of misconduct on four counts during his time as archbishop of Munich and Freising between 1977 and 1982.

Pope Benedict, known then as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger expressed his “deep shame’’ and “great pain,’’ as well as his “sincere request for an apology to all victims of sexual abuse.”

The former pope also commented on accusations that he had lied about his participation in a meeting concerning the transfer of a priest from Essen in North Rhine Westphalia to Bavaria.

Experts from the law firm Westpfahl Spilker Wastl (WSW) believed that Mr Ratzinger reassigned priests who had abused children to other areas during his time as archbishop of Munich and Freising.

“The expert report contains no evidence to support an allegation of misconduct or assistance in a cover-up,’’ they said. “As archbishop, Cardinal Ratzinger was not involved in any cover-up of acts of abuse.’’

These accusations were categorically denied by Mr Ratzinger’s lawyers and advisers in a “fact check’’ also published on Tuesday.

In a short statement, Cardinal Reinhard Marx, the current archbishop of Munich, welcomed the ex-Pope’s statement while stressing how seriously his diocese is taking the independent experts’ findings.

(dpa/NAN)

We have recently deactivated our website's comment provider in favour of other channels of distribution and commentary. We encourage you to join the conversation on our stories via our Facebook, Twitter and other social media pages.

More from Peoples Gazette

farmers

Agriculture

FG tasks ECOWAS on leveraging financing strategies for agroecology

The federal government has urged stakeholders in the agriculture and finance sectors in the West Africa region to leverage financing strategies to enhance agroecology practices

Katsina State

Politics

Katsina youths pledge to deliver over 2 million votes to Atiku

“Katsina State is Atiku’s political base because it is his second home.”

Defence minister Christopher Musa

Hot news Home top

Officers who wait for orders to kill terrorists will be treated as bandits: Defence Minister

Defence Minister Christopher Musa says security personnel do not need to wait for an order before engaging armed bandits or terrorists.

House of Representatives,

Heading 3

Reps urge Tinubu to act as Nigerians paid N2.23 trillion ransom to kidnappers

The House emphasised the need to strengthen financial intelligence and collaboration among relevant security.

Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission [NUPRC]

NationWide

2024 Bid Round: NUPRC hands petroleum prospecting licences to 12 firms

NUPRC said the exercise marked another milestone in efforts to attract fresh investment into the upstream petroleum industry.

African Democratic Party (ADC)

Hot news Home top

ADC bars state chapters from receiving court processes, engaging lawyers

Mr Abdullahi said the party received reports that court processes relating to the ADC were being served on state chapters across the country.

Rainfall

Heading 4

NiMet predicts three-day cloudy, rainy atmosphere from Thursday

According to NiMet, strong winds may precede rain in areas where thunderstorms are likely.

Census

Heading 1

Stop guessing Nigeria’s population, UN tells FG

Ms Mafico reaffirmed UNFPA’s support for Nigeria’s next population and housing census.