Pope denies implication in German sex abuse scandal on his pre-Papa watch

For those of you wondering, nonresponsibility isn’t really a word. But then, of course, that’s the least of the Roman Catholic Church’s problems. And it’s always been a problem that went all the way to the top (partly because the Church is a scam, and partly because, in the immortal words of Neo, there is no spoon). [emphasis mine]

Sex-Abuse Scandal in the German Church Touches Pope Benedict XVI’s Archdiocese – NYTimes.com

BERLIN — A widening child sexual abuse inquiry in Europe has landed at the doorstep of Pope Benedict XVI, as a senior church official acknowledged Friday that a German archdiocese made “serious mistakes” in handling an abuse case while the pope served as its archbishop.

The archdiocese said that a priest accused of molesting boys was given therapy in 1980 and later allowed to resume pastoral duties, before committing further abuses and being prosecuted. Pope Benedict, who at the time headed the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising, approved the priest’s transfer for therapy. A subordinate took full responsibility for allowing the priest to later resume pastoral work, the archdiocese said in a statement.

The Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, said he had no comment beyond the statement by the Archdiocese of Munich and Freising, which he said showed the “nonresponsibility” of the pope in the matter.