Bishop Fred Henry of Calgary - Blame Weakland Not Pope for Millwaukee Scandal

A sidebar to the Irish Pastoral Letter has been the attempts to personally embroil Benedict XVI in the sex abuse scandals.
The New York Times on March 25, and parroted by other newspapers, accused Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of intervening to prevent a Wisconsin priest, Father Lawrence Murphy, from facing penalties for cases of sexual abuse of minors. The story is not even supported by the evidence of the Times.
Cardinal Ratzinger does not appear in the record as taking any decision. His office, in the person of his deputy, Archbishop (Tarcisio) Bertone, agreed that there should be a full canonical trial. When it became apparent that Father Murphy was in failing health, Archbishop Bertone suggested more expeditious means of removing him from any ministry.
Furthermore, under canon law at the time, the principal responsibility for sexual abuse cases lay with the local bishop. Archbishop (Rembert) Weakland had from 1977 onward the responsibility of administering penalties to Father Murphy. He did nothing until 1996. It was at that point that Cardinal Ratzinger's office became involved, and it subsequently did nothing to impede the local process.
In August 1998, Archbishop Weakland writes that he has halted the canonical trial and penal process against Father Murphy and has immediately begun the process to remove him from ministry. That same month, Father Murphy dies.
The New York Times flatly got the story wrong. Readers may want to speculate on why. (Charitable way of saying there is an ulterior motive. I submit my recent post, Memo to Main Stream Media Slimeballing of Pope: BASTA!!!!. for some suggestions as to what that motive might be. )

Taken from It's wrong to point finger at Pope in sex abuse scandals, a pastoral letter appearing in The Calgary Herald