The NYT continues to uncover evidence of the Pope's involvement in clergy sexual abuse scandal, taking a look again at the case in Germany involving a pedophile priest (accused of forcing an 11-year-old boy to have oral sex) who was sent to "therapy" and then allowed to return to work.
According to a London Times article published last week: "Mgr Gruber said that the Pope, who was made a cardinal in 1977, had not been not aware of his decision because there were 1,000 priests in the diocese at the time and he had left many decisions to lower-level officials. 'The cardinal could not deal with everything,” he said.'"
The NYT now finds otherwise: "The future Pope Benedict XVI was kept more closely apprised of a sexual abuse case in Germany than previous church statements have suggested, raising fresh questions about his handling of a scandal unfolding under his direct supervision before he rose to the top of the church's hierarchy…An initial statement on the matter issued earlier this month by the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising placed full responsibility for the decision to allow the priest to resume his duties on Cardinal Ratzinger's deputy, the Rev. Gerhard Gruber. But the memo, whose existence was confirmed by two church officials, shows that the future pope not only led a meeting on Jan. 15, 1980, approving the transfer of the priest, but was also kept informed about the priest's reassignment."
