Editing Pope Benedict XVI (section)

==== As Archbishop of Munich and Freising ====
Despite being more proactive than his predecessor in addressing sexual abuse, Benedict was nonetheless cited as failing to do so on more than one occasion. In January 2022, a report written by German law firm Westpfahl Spilker Wastl and commissioned by the Catholic Church concluded that Cardinal Ratzinger failed to adequately take action against clerics in four cases of alleged abuse while he was Archbishop of Munich and Freising from 1977 to 1982. The pope emeritus denied the accusations.<ref name=":1">{{Cite news|date=20 January 2022|title=Former Pope Benedict failed to act over abuse, new report finds|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60070132|access-date=20 January 2022}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last1=Horowitz|first1=Jason|last2=Povoledo|first2=Elisabetta|last3=Pianigiani|first3=Gaia|date=20 January 2022|title=Benedict Faulted for Handling of Abuse Cases When He Was an Archbishop|language=en-US|work=The New York Times|url=https://www.nytimes.com/2022/01/20/world/europe/benedict-germany-sexual-abuse.html|access-date=22 January 2022|issn=0362-4331}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Moody|first=Oliver|date=20 January 2022|title=Pope Benedict failed to act on child abuse, report finds|language=en|work=[[The Times]]|url=https://www.thetimes.com/article/pope-benedict-failed-to-act-on-child-abuse-report-finds-s72l6ngsp|access-date=22 January 2022|issn=0140-0460}}</ref> Benedict corrected his former statement that he had not been at a meeting of the ordinariate of the [[Archdiocese of Munich and Freising]] in January 1980, saying he mistakenly told German investigators he was not there. However, the error was "not done out of bad faith", but "the result of an error in the editorial processing" of his statement. According to [[Reuters]], lawyer Martin Pusch said that "in a total of four cases, we have come to the conclusion that the then Archbishop Cardinal Ratzinger can be accused of misconduct in cases of sexual abuse."<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/ex-pope-benedict-acknowledges-faulty-testimony-german-abuse-case-2022-01-24/|title=Ex-Pope Benedict acknowledges faulty testimony in German abuse case|first=Philip|last=Pullella|date=24 January 2022|work=Reuters}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news|url=https://m.tagesspiegel.de/gesellschaft/panorama/gutachten-zu-missbrauch-in-der-kirche-benedikt-gibt-falschaussage-zu/28001622.html|title = Benedikt gibt Falschaussage zu| newspaper=Der Tagesspiegel Online }}</ref>

In February 2022, Benedict admitted that errors were made in the treating of sexual abuse cases when he was Archbishop of Munich. According to the letter released by the Vatican, he asked forgiveness for any "grievous fault" but denied personal wrongdoing. Benedict stated: "I have had great responsibilities in the Catholic Church. All the greater is my pain for the abuses and the errors that occurred in those different places during the time of my mandate."<ref>{{Cite news|date=8 February 2022|title=Ex-Pope admits errors in handling of abuse cases|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-60305844|access-date=9 February 2022}}</ref> Public prosecutor's office in Munich had begun investigations as a result of the 2022 report against both Benedict and [[Friedrich Wetter|Cardinal Friedrich Wetter]]. The investigation was "discontinued" in March 2023 after it "did not reveal sufficient suspicion of criminal activity". The case of the investigation "was not acts of abuse committed by the Church personnel managers themselves, but possible acts of aiding and abetting by active action or omission".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Prosecutors drop case of alleged 'cover up' against Benedict XVI |url=https://www.catholicnewsagency.com/news/253917/prosecutors-drop-case-of-alleged-cover-up-against-benedict-xvi |access-date=24 March 2023 |agency=Catholic News Agency |language=en}}</ref>