Here’s a good summary of the record of
Benedict XVI on the sex abuse issue. It begins with a quote from a New York
Times op-ed by experienced Catholic journalist John Allen: “for anyone who
knows the Vatican’s history on this issue, Benedict XVI isn’t just part of the
problem, he’s also a major chapter in the solution.” It points out that even
before he became Pope, he had pressed to clean up the Church. Soon after he was
elected he took stern action with two prominent priests who had founded
religious orders but were sex abusers: Fr Gino Burresi, founder of the Servants
of the Immaculate Heart of Mary, and Fr Marcial Maciel, of the Legionaries of
Christ. He has also been the first Pope to meet with victims of sex abuse and
the first to issue a Papal document on sex abuse, a stinging letter to Ireland
in which he said that he felt betrayed by the bishops.
