The man who is now 38 alleges he was sexually abused by a now-laicized priest when he was 11 and 12; thus, the alleged abuse took place in 1995 and 1996, well after the future Pope was Archbishop of Munich and Freising (1977-1982).

Nonetheless, the plaintiff alleges that the Pope Emeritus bears some legal culpability, as he had “responsibly approved” the priest’s appointment to a Bavarian parish, according to a CNS report.