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Perhaps the most dangerous issue facing Benedict during his pontificate is the fallout from the sexual abuse of children by Catholic priests, as well as allegations of a cover-up by the Church administration.
When Benedict became pope in 2005, the Catholic Church was in the midst of a public reckoning over its history of sex abuse — a crisis he knew all too well. In 2001, John Paul II authorized the CDF to strengthen all investigations into allegations of abuse, removing that power from local dioceses after it became clear that they often failed to act against predatory priests. As head of the CDF, Cardinal Ratzinger then worked to establish new procedures for reporting and punishing clerics accused of sexual abuse.
As pope, Benedict has repeatedly spoken out against the Church’s legacy of child sexual abuse, apologized to victims, and excommunicated hundreds of priests who have been found guilty. But for many, his actions fell short, in part because he failed to publicly disclose the Vatican’s investigation into abuse allegations — a lack of transparency that allowed the diocese to keep the allegations secret from parishioners and law enforcement authorities.
“In the entire history of the Church, no one has known anything but less to protect children than Benedict,” said the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP) in a statement in 2013, in response to the pope’s public statement emeritus who did. did not participate in the ‘cover-up’ of clerical abuse. “As head of the CDF, thousands of cases of predatory priests crossed his desk. Did he choose to warn his family or call the police about one of these dangerous clerics? No. That, by definition, is a cover-up.”
Rumors of corruption and a secret cabal within the Holy See have also plagued Benedict’s tenure as pope, culminating in the “Vatileaks” scandal in 2012.
On February 10, 2013, Benedict shocked the world by announcing his resignation from the papacy. “After repeatedly examining my conscience before God, I am convinced that my strength, due to my advanced age, is not suitable for the adequate exercise of the Petrine ministry,” he said in an official statement.
His decision to retire was later dramatized in the 2019 film Two Popesin which Benedict is portrayed by Anthony Hopkins, who was nominated for an Oscar for his performance.
As Pope Emeritus, Benedict tries to stay out of the public eye. He apparently did not like being known by such a high title after he resigned and asked others to call him simply “Father Benedict.” However, he made public appearances at events of theological significance, such as the Canonization Mass of Pope John XIII and John Paul II on April 27, 2014.
On September 4, 2020, at the age of 93 years, four months, and 19 days, Benedict became the longest-serving pope in history.
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