In an article published on upi.com titled Retired Pope Benedict XVI asks ‘forgiveness’ over handling of past sex abuse cases. The retired pontiff appears to show remorse for his handling of child sex abuse cases during the 1970s and ’80s.
And I say he appears to show remorse because there is no clear apology or direct recognition of guilt in his words.
Furthermore, his apparent repentance comes after a damming report. The law firm Westphal Spilker Wastl (WSW) reported that “Benedict failed to prevent abuse of minors during his tenure as archbishop of Munich and Freising from 1977 to 1982.”
The actual report is conveniently unavailable at the time of this article, but you can read more about it here.
Aside from their mistreatment of children, which is one of the most heinous crimes possible, the Catholic church showed bias towards political power over their religious doctrine. They protected the perpetrator of such horrible crimes.
Even someone like me, devoid of any respect for organised religion, would have applauded the punishment of those responsible for child abuse in the church.
Like some police departments, they protected those who failed the very people they exist to protect.
And if that isn’t enough to make you want to do like an angry chimpanzee and throw faeces at them, consider the former pope’s statement in his claim of attrition.
“We publicly implore the living God to forgive our fault, our most grievous fault,” he said, according to the Vatican. “The words ‘most grievous’ do not apply each day and to every person in the same way. Yet every day they do cause me to question if today too I should speak of a most grievous fault. And they tell me with consolation that however great my fault may be today, the Lord forgives me, if I sincerely allow myself to be examined by him, and am really prepared to change.”
https://www.upi.com/Top_News/World-News/2022/02/08/italy-vatican-pope-benedict-letter-sex-abuse/4421644328027/
Two critical points to take from this proclamation.
First, his apology is to his god and not the people injured by his church. Second, he understands that he gets forgiveness according to the catholic/Christian belief that honest repentance is all a sinner needs to receive absolution.
Moreover, and far more concerning, is the fact that millions of their followers will accept his act of ostensible contrition. They will forgive him for his crimes against children.
— The Devil Unbound
