Scottish Catholic Observer

The comments from Pope Benedict formed part of an 11-page letter to an atheist Italian author and mathematician, Piergiorgio Odifreddi, who had written a book about some of the issues facing the Catholic Church prior to Pope Benedict’s retirement in February.

“As far as you mentioning the moral abuse of minors by priests, I can only, as you know, acknowledge it with profound consternation,” Pope Benedict said. “But I never tried to cover up these things.”

The publication of the retired Pope’s comments came shortly after a written letter by his successor, Pope Francis, to an Italian journalist concerning dialogue with nonbelievers was published. The Italian daily newspaper La Repubblica published both letters with the two Popes’ permission.

Today, the paper released long excerpts of Pope Benedict’s original response to Mr Odifreddi, who wrote the book, Dear Pope, I Write to You in 2011. The book, presented as a letter to Pope Benedict, proposes the superiority of a worldview in which belief should stem only from things that can be understood and empirically known over worldviews that include belief in things that cannot be fully understood or known.

Although he said he read Mr Odifreddi’s book ‘with pleasure and benefit,’ Pope Benedict added that he met ‘with deep dismay’ Mr Odifreddi’s unsubstantiated comments regarding the clerical abuse scandals facing the Church.

The retired Pope criticised the author for depicting the Church as the only place where such ‘deviation’ and ‘filth’ occurs.

Pope Benedict is recognised within Church circles as being among the leaders in tackling the problem of clerical abuse. He was the first Pope to meet with victims of abuse, clarified Church laws to expedite cases, and mandated bishops’ conferences to put in place stringent norms against abuse.

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