The Munich Public Prosecutor's Office has closed the investigation against Pope Benedict XVI for allegedly covering up at least four cases of pedophilia during his time as archbishop in Germany, between 1977 and 1982.
The court ruled that there is no 'sufficient suspicion of criminal activity' and that, if there had been, the statute of limitations would have expired.
The investigators based their decision on the abuse report published in January 2022, prepared by a law firm at the request of the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising. The chief prosecutor said this document is of 'great importance' for the social debate, but notes that it is 'not very productive' in terms of criminal law.
Pope Benedict XVI, after learning of the accusations, commissioned a group of professionals. They examined over 8,000 pages of meetings and documents of Joseph Ratzinger, and concluded that they saw no clear evidence of a possible cover-up of abusers.
JRB
TR: AT
