The letter reveals that Ratzinger, before he became Pope Benedict XVI, resisted pleas to defrock a molester priest.For four years after that recommendation was made, nothing was done while the Oakland diocese-based priest continued to do volunteer work with children in his capacity with the church.
Finally, Ratzinger wrote to Oakland Bishop John Cummins. In November 1985, the future Pope wrote that, although the reasons to remove Fr. Stephen Kiesle (lower photo) were of "grave significance," he added that the matter needed to be dealt with very carefully and that more time was needed before a decision was made.
Stephen Kiesle ultimately was stripped of his priestly powers on Feb. 13, 1987
Kiesle's criminal record did not end with his priesthood.
Although the statute of limitations on his crimes protected Kiesle from criminal prosecution for his acts in the 1970s, he pleaded no contest in 2004 to molesting a young girl in his Truckee, California home in 1995. He was sentenced to six years in state prison for the felony.
The pedophile priest problem has hounded the Catholic church for decades. Will Pope Benedict XVI finally do more than pay-off those who bring lawsuits and apologize to victims who do not sue?
At the last link below is the story of a Massachusetts priest who says the Pope is not being truthful about sex abuse cases. He even calls for the Pope to resign over child sex abuse accusations
Link here, here, here and here.
A picture of my cave
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