Former Pope Benedict asks forgiveness for the mishandling of child sex abuse cases, but does not admit wrongdoing

• Retired Pope Benedict XVI asked forgiveness on Tuesday for the handling of child sex abuse cases.
• Benedict spoke out after a report investigated how sexual abuse was handled while he helmed the Munich archdiocese.

Retired Pope Benedict XVI asked forgiveness on Tuesday for the mishandling of child sex abuse cases while he was archbishop of Germany's Munich archdiocese from 1977 to 1982, but he also did not admit any wrongdoing.

"I can only express to all the victims of sexual abuse my profound shame, my deep sorrow and my heartfelt request for forgiveness," the 94-year-old wrote in a letter published by the Vatican.

"I have had great responsibilities in the Catholic Church," he added. "All the greater is my pain for the abuses and the errors that occurred in those different places during the time of my mandate. Each individual case of sexual abuse is appalling and irreparable. The victims of sexual abuse have my deepest sympathy and I feel great sorrow for each individual case."

Benedict's lawyers also responded to the report, denying allegations that the former pope, previously known as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, covered up any abuse.

"As an archbishop, Cardinal Ratzinger was not involved in any cover-up of acts of abuse," the lawyers said in a response seen by the Associated Press.

The comments from Benedict and his lawyers were in response to a January 20 report commissioned by the German Catholic Church to investigate how sexual abuse cases were handled in the Munich archdiocese between 1945 and 2019.

Benedict was faulted in the report and accused of misconduct in connection to four cases of sexual abuse that took place while he was archbishop in Munich, the Associated Press reported.

The report also found that nearly 500 victims were abused during the nearly 75-year-period, the New York Times reported.