Director of Vatican Press Office responds to article in today's NYT linking Pope to transfer of priest abuser

Statement of the Director of the Press Office of the Holy See , P. Federico Lombardi, SJ, in regard to an article in the "New York Times"/DICHIARAZIONE DEL DIRETTORE DELLA SALA STAMPA DELLA SANTA SEDE, P. FEDERICO LOMBARDI, S.I., A PROPOSITO DI UN ARTICOLO DEL "NEW YORK TIMES"

Holy See Press Office Director Fr. Federico Lombardi S.J., questioned by journalists concerning a new New York Times article, which appeared on 26 March and concerns the period in which Cardinal Ratzinger was archbishop of Munich, referred them to this morning's public denial in a communique published by the archdiocese of Munich, which reads:

"The article in the New York Times contains no new information beyond that which the archdiocese has already communicated concerning the then archbishop's knowledge of the situation of Father H."

Thus the archdiocese confirms the position, according to which the then archbishop had no knowledge of the decision to reassign Father H. to pastoral activities in a parish.

It rejects any other version of events as mere speculation.

The then vicar general, Msgr. Gerhard Gruber, has assumed full responsibility for his own erroneous decision to reassign Father H. to pastoral activity.

[00421-02.01] [Original text: Italian]

[B0179-XX.02]

Source at Daily Bulletin of the Holy See website here.

Click here for New York Times article "Pope Was Told Pedophile Priest Would Get Transfer" to which Fr Lombardi refers in Vatican press release.