Pope Benedict has done more than any other Pope in history to clean up this crisis in the Church. He is the first Pope to implement such decisive strategies to actively rid the Church of abuse, and to extend his hand in apology to victims. Cardinal Ratzinger (now Pope Benedict XVI) was the head of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith for several years, but had no responsibility for investigating cases of sexual abuse until 2001. Once opening these files, Ratzinger was the first in the Church to deal with the crisis in a serious manner.
Read More >>In early April 2010, the Vatican released guidelines clarifying the procedures it follows when a priest is accused of sexual abuse. To find out more about these documents, see Zenit’s article here. Pope Benedict XVI has also prepared efficient new measures to prevent sex abuse in the Church, and is expected to present them mid-2010. For more information, see this report from Rome Reports here.
Pope Benedict XVI has openly and sincerely apologised to victims of sexual abuse.
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