VATICAN CITY, MARCH 26, 2010 (Zenit.org).- Attempts by the New York Times to personally embroil Benedict XVI in the sex abuse scandals are «mere speculation,» the Vatican spokesman said today.
In an article today, the Times took up a story reported earlier about a priest allowed to do pastoral work in the Archdiocese of Munich even though he was receiving psychological treatment for a history of abuse. The archbishop at the time was Joseph Ratzinger. Since the story of the priest has been reported, Archbishop Ratzinger’s then vicar general, Monsignor Gerhard Gruber, has accepted full responsibility for the priest’s assignment.
Today, Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, director of the Vatican press office, was asked about the Times article.
He answered by making reference to a communiqué from the Archdiocese of Munich this morning. The communiqué states: «The article in the New York Times contains no new information beyond that which the archdiocese has already communicated concerning the then archbishop’s knowledge of the situation of Father H.»
Father Lombardi thus confirmed that the Munich Archdiocese rejects any version of events that attributes knowledge of the case to Archbishop Ratzinger, calling it «mere speculation.»
This is the second day in a row that the Times has tried to implicate the Pope personally in abuse scandals. An article Thursday regarding a priest of the Archdiocese of Milwaukee also spoke of his role, this time as the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.
ZENIT reported the Vatican’s response to that article and clarified certain details of the case on Thursday.
