Oakland, Calif., Apr 12, 2010 / 17:28 pm
Responding to a recent Associated Press article that claimed a 1985 letter showed then-Cardinal Ratzinger “stalled” the case of a pedophile priest in the Diocese of Oakland, Ignatius Press founder Fr. Joseph Fessio said that the letter was not meant to address punishing the priest for sexual abuse. Diocesan spokesman Mike Brown also told CNA that contrary to the AP report, the priest had “no priestly role in the diocese” after he was accused of sexual misconduct.
On April 9, the AP released an exclusive report that claimed to show Pope Benedict resisted “pleas to defrock” a California priest, Fr. Stephen Kiesle, who was accused of molesting two children in 1978.
The AP cites a letter, written by then-Cardinal Ratzinger in 1985, which addresses a request by Bishop John Cummins of the Diocese of Oakland to remove Fr. Kiesle from the priesthood. In his letter to the Oakland Bishop, Cardinal Ratzinger said that a careful review and more time was necessary for the removal of vows.
The AP then claimed that the case “languished” in the Vatican until Fr. Kiesle was “ultimately stripped of his priestly powers” in 1987. The Associated Press also reported that Fr. Kiesle served as a youth group minister in the diocese in the 1980s after being accused of sexual misconduct.