German Abuse Report Disqualifies Itself: The Four Constructed Cases Against Ratzinger
First case: A priest was sentenced to prison in the 1960s for homosexual crimes. After he had served the sentence, Munich Cardinal Döpfner transferred him abroad. During Ratzinger's tenure, the priest asked to be allowed to spend his retirement in his Bavarian homeland. The request was granted at the end of the 1970s.
The report falsely claims that Ratzinger knew the perpetrator because he spent a holiday in his former parish. The truth: This holiday was in August 1982, when Ratzinger was no longer Munich Archbishop. The report also accuses Ratzinger of the fact that the priest was addressed “as parish-priest" [corresponds in Germany to "Father"] when he returned to Bavaria, which is falsely presented as an "honorary title".
Ratzinger states that he did not know why the homosexual priest had worked abroad. The priest never relapsed. The matter is hyped up as a "case" while even the report describes Ratzinger "as exonerated on the whole".
Second case: A priest from the diocese of Essen was convicted in the early 1970s of "attempted fornication with children and sexual insult" and five years later of exhibitionism. According to the report, Ratzinger agreed to the priest working in Munich, where he relapsed. A court sentenced him to a suspended prison term. He underwent psychiatric treatment and worked as a religion teacher. Benedict XVI denies having been fully informed about the Essen case, a claim that is disputed.
Third case The priest of a foreign diocese, whose bishop was his uncle, had been given a suspended sentence in his home country for child abuse. The uncle bishop sought to have his nephew placed in Munich for doctoral studies. Ratzinger granted the request. The priest was also assigned to pastoral care as a chaplain. In Munich he was observed bathing naked and made efforts to have private contacts with altar boys. As a consequence, he was dismissed and banned from any pastoral work. The expert opinion claims without any evidence that Ratzinger "knew" about the conviction abroad.
Fourth case A Munich priest was convicted of taking "lewd photographs" of girls under 14. Ratzinger transferred him to a home for the elderly and to a hospital. He lived in a parish where he also presided the Eucharist. The report accuses Ratzinger of "failure" or "indifference and disinterest” - again without presenting facts.
The conclusion: The Germans have produced another "abuse expert opinion" which disqualifies itself.
Picture: 27.02.2013 © Mazur/catholicnews.org.uk, CC BY-NC-ND, #newsBhcecnzbxx
