Pope Benedict XVI, while still a cardinal, sought in vain to expedite the process for defrocking priests guilty of grave crimes, according to a 1988 letter published in the official Vatican newspaper.
The letter, which appears in the Thursday (Dec. 2) edition of L'Osservatore Romano, could have important implications for the pope's record on child sex abuse.
The letter appears in an article by Bishop Juan Ignacio Arrieta, the No. 2 official at the Vatican's Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of Legislative Texts. Arrieta said it recently resurfaced during preparations for a planned revision of the Catholic Church's system of penal law.
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