Former Pope Benedict to mount legal defense over abuse cover-up accusation

The former Pope Benedict XVI will defend himself against a civil suit brought by a German man accusing him of covering up historical abuse, a court spokesperson said on Tuesday (8 November).

A so-called declaratory motion was filed in June for a 38-year-old man who claimed he was abused as a child by a priest.

The complaint is directed at a priest identified as Peter H. and Benedict, who were Archbishops of Munich and Freising between 1977 and 1982. He was also the successor to Cardinal Friedrich Wetter, as well as another official from the church.

The Archdiocese of Munich & Freising declined comment to discuss an ongoing case.

A spokesperson for Traustein court confirmed that a report from the DPA press agency stated that the former Pope would be defending himself through a law company. This avoids the court from granting a default ruling.

However, Benedict, who is now 95, may still appear in court to defend himself. A court spokesperson said that the court could demand that defendants appear.

The complaint is due to be responded to by the defendants no later than January 24, 2019. A hearing has not been scheduled.

Andreas Schulz, the lawyer who filed this case, stated that it sought to establish culpability and argued that the Catholic Church had a Christian obligation to recognize injustices committed.

Schulz confirmed comments made to DPA that Schulz said, "If they don’t, the reputational damages will grow and the Catholic church will hasten the erosionof faith."

In January, a report on sexual abuse in the archdiocese between 1945 and 2019 claimed that Benedict failed to take action in four cases against clerics when he was Archbishop de Munich.

Benedict, who was elected pontiff in 2013, admitted that he had made mistakes in handling cases during his tenure and asked for forgiveness. His lawyers claimed that he wasn't directly responsible.

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