Pope Francis wrote in his autobiography that he received from Bento XVI a “large white box” with documents related to “difficult and painful situations.” Francisco will have received these documents shortly after his choice to the papal position.
“He gave me a large white box,” Francisco wrote in his autobiography. “Everything is here (…) Documents related to the most difficult and painful situations. Cases of abuse, corruption, dark interests, illegal acts.”
In “Hope”, the Pope wrote that he felt “called to assume responsibility for all the evil committed by some priests.” Benedict XVI should say: “I arrived here, I took these measures, I moved away these people. Now it’s your turn.”
In the book, Pope Francis emphasized that he had continued the path of his predecessor.
Last year of Bento XVI was difficult for him, especially due to the deterioration of his health, which was the reason for his abdication in 2013. The problem of pedophilia in the Church was one of the main challenges of his pontificate.
Benedict XVI was repeatedly accused of negligence in the fight against pedophilia in the Church. At the same time, Pope Francis, in an interview with the Daily La Nación newspaper in 2023, addressed the accusations of covering cases of pedophilia in the Church, admitting that Benedict XVI “was the first to face this problem.”
The earthquake was caused by a 2022 report on pedophilia that incriminated Benedict XVI for its actions while it was an archbishop of Munich. According to the report, Joseph Ratzinger has neglected the case of clergy accused of acts of pedophilia in the diocese of Munich. The pedophilia report in Munich, in which almost five hundred victims were identified for a period of almost seventy -five years, was prepared by a German law firm.
“In all my meetings with victims of sexual abuse by priests, I investigated the consequences of a great fault and learned to understand that we are dragged to this great guilt when we ignore it,” Bento XVI wrote in a letter referring to the published report.
“I carry a great responsibility in the Catholic Church. My pain is even greater due to the abuses and errors that occurred during my ministry in private places,” Benedict XVI wrote.
“I am particularly grateful for the trust, support and prayers that Pope Francis expressed me personally,” Bento added in a statement at that time.
“Soon I will face the final judge of my life. Although, looking back, in my long life, I can have many reasons for fear and apprehension, I am happy in spirit because I firmly believe that the Lord is not only a fair judge, but also a friend and a brother,” Bento XVI wrote.
In addition to the Bento XVI letter, the Vatican published a separate analysis of four lawyers who questioned the specific accusations against the retired Pope. The experts declared that the researchers had swallowed the actions and ignored the facts.
Some commentators and church figures, including Father Tadeusz Isakowicz-Zaleski, said Bento XVI had already taken measures to combat pedophilia in the last years of the pontificate of John Paul II and later as Pope.
In 2010, on July 15, the Holy See changed the standards to deal with the most serious crimes. This mainly refers to the sexual abuse of minors by the clergy, as well as the crimes against faith and the sacrament of the orders of the Eucharist, the Penza and the Sacred.
The changes are included in a letter published by the Congregation to the bishops of the Catholic Church and other interested hierarchies, with respect to the modifications introduced in the Apostolic Charter Motu in itself ‘Sacramentarum sanctitatis satela’. Since the mayor of the Congregation, Cardinal William led, emphasized in his introductory note, the modifications refer to certain areas, so that it is more, to do it more, to do it more, to make the text of the document more useful for nine years. They were approved by Benedict XVI on May 21, 2010.
ADVERTISINGThe new sexual abuse standards include provisions to accelerate procedures to act more effectively in the most urgent and serious situations. Allow lay people to work in court; extend the period of prescription of these cases in canonical processes of 10 to 20 years after the victim has reached the age of 18; and treat the crimes of abuse against people with mental disabilities in the same way as crimes against minors. Pedophile porn crime is also introduced.
In a speech before the bishops of Ireland on October 28, 2006, Pope Benedict XVI declared, among other things, that the injuries inflicted by priests who sexually abuse minors are deep. The urgent task, “he added,” is to rebuild the confidence where he was affected. “The speech was seen as a hard criticism of the abuses committed by the priests and the acts of pedophilia.
Analysts of the Italian Vatican observe that, as Pope, among other things, forced the withdrawal of the public activity and penance of the founder of the Congregation of the Legionaries of Christ, the Maciel Marcial Marcial Degollado, Mexico, accused of sexual abuse of minors for almost sixty years.
Pope Francis met with people who were victims of pedophilia for priests. Still in 2024, he met with a group of victims in Brussels. According to a Vatican statement, the Pope “expressed his gratitude for his courage and also ashamed for what they suffered when they were children at the hands of the priests who were entrusted to them.”
ADVERTISINGIn a speech at Laeken Castle, the Pope said: “This is a scourge that the Church is fighting with determination and firmness, following and listening to the injured and implementing a great prevention program worldwide.”
Since Francis became a potato, he has also actively fought against corruption, approving the legislation in 2021 to sue the bishops and the suspected cardinals of crimes.
Pope Benedict XVI and Pope Francis also had to face corruption scandals involving the Vatican Bank. Shortly after his choice, Francis considered the possibility of finishing the bank, formally known as the Institute of Religious Works (IOR), but decided to continue the reforms initiated by his predecessor.
The Vatican Bank began to reform to put it to the new standards, after years of scandals and accusations of capital laundering.
ADVERTISINGIn previous years, the bank has been caught in corruption cases, tax dropout, fundraising, capital bleach and real estate fraud, some of which involve high employees and prelates, which harmed the ethical credentials of the Vatican.
Already in 1990, John Paul II appealed to the realization of internal audits.
For decades, before the reforms, the Vatican Bank was involved in numerous financial scandals, since unauthorized persons have opened accounts and used them for illegal purposes, with the complicity of corrupt people.
The Italian economist and banker Ettore Gotti Tedeschi was president of the Vatican Bank during the turbulence period between 2009 and 2012.
ADVERTISINGThe opaque finances of the Holy See were the object of an unprecedented scrutiny after an investigation into the bleach of the capital.
Tedeschi was fired for alleged “negligence of duty.” However, the president of the Holy See declared that he had tried to introduce transparency.
“The facts had a very different result, but all this is an issue that was sent to the prosecutor. I prefer not to talk about it.” – Tedeschi told Euronews in 2016.
To date, it is not known exactly what is contained in the “White Box” delivered by Pope Benedict XVI to Pope Francis, nor will he be delivered to the next Pope.
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