Pope must make statement

In the 1980s a priest known for his paedophilic tendencies was placed in charge of a congregation in Munich with the knowledge of Pope Benedict XVI, then Cardinal Ratzinger. Regardless of the consequences the Pope must now answer pressing questions, writes the left-liberal daily Süddeutsche Zeitung: "Benedict XVI has condemned sexual abuse in the harshest terms, so it's not possible to accuse him of wanting to cover up or deny paedophilia in the Church. Nevertheless he is now directly implicated in the affair, and must justify the trust that more than a billion Catholics place - or not, as the case may be - in the Pontiff. ... The Church isn't in this crisis of confidence because it's a club for child abusers. It is in this crisis because it indulges in self-pity rather than helping the victims, for example with a compensation fund. It is in this crisis because it doesn't want to admit that the clergy attracts men with problems of sexual identity. It is in this crisis which concerns the entire country because until now the Church has offered warmth and proximity that were in short supply in other parts of society. This rare good could now become all the more scarce, and the Pope must also answer for that."

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