Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI is asking for forgiveness over abuse cases; SNAP reacts

(For Immediate Release February 8, 2022) 

To us, Benedict’s letter is admitting to one thing to cover up a thousand. It is the same pattern of abuse, institutional knowledge, and concealment. His apology is faint, especially to a victim population that could care less what Pope Emeritus has to say. Benedict is repeating words of apology that have fallen on deaf ears for decades. To no surprise, Benedict and his advisors wish to recreate a narrative in their favor. The truth is this, it is about protecting the church’s deteriorating image and financial flow to the hierarchy. True apologies are followed by true amends, a concept the church does not seem to be able to grasp.

Despite evidence from secular authorities that Pope Benedict shuffled pedophiles, the former pope cannot do the simple thing and offer full accounting and apology. The opportunity for cleansing the report out of Munich offered has been squandered. 

The rot of clergy sexual abuse of children, sadly, runs throughout the Catholic church, to every country, and we now have incontrovertible evidence, all the way to the top.

What we hope now is that governments all around the world see the unimpeachable need for them to regulate the Catholic church. If its supreme leader cannot admit to his role in this crisis as an archbishop and a cardinal, then as a Vatican enforcer, and now as a pope, if that act of honesty is just too high a hill to climb, children in every country where there is a catholic priest are still in danger. Every bishop and priest below the pope now has an excuse to fabricate, equivocate, and, dare we say, continue to lie and hide the truth.

We want to honor the abuse survivors in Germany and everywhere for continuing to speak truth to power against such great odds and in the face of such powerful denial. Despite Pope Emeritus' lack of candor, our truths cannot be denied. 

CONTACT: Mike McDonnell, SNAP Communications Manager ([email protected], 267-261-0578), Zach Hiner, SNAP Executive Director ([email protected], 517-974-9009) Shaun Dougherty, SNAP Board President ([email protected], 814-341-8386)

 

(SNAP, the Survivors Network, has been providing support for victims of sexual abuse in institutional settings for 30 years. We have more than 25,000 survivors and supporters in our network. Our website is SNAPnetwork.org)


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