The Real Reason Pope Benedict Stepped Down.

Pope Benedict’s decision to resign isn’t about frail health or moral rectitude – it’s about diplomatic immunity and moral cowardice.

Since 2010, Benedict has been implicated in several cases where he failed to take action as a cardinal and as a pope in response to sexual abuse cases within the Church. 

By remaining in Rome but without Church authority, his Vatican citizenship protects him from prosecution. But what about his conscience?

We can’t force the police to break the law in order to arrest him. But we can call on Benedict to do the right thing, no longer hiding behind his clerical robes for the crimes he helped cover up.

Victims of sexual abuse by the clergy have begged the International Criminal Court for years to investigate the pope. If he has nothing to hide, he should face them – and with over three decades in positions of power in the Vatican, he owes it to the survivors to face the consequences of turning a blind eye.

MESSAGE FOR POPE BENEDICT: We urge you not to shield yourself from the consequences of your negligence as a church leader by hiding behind Vatican citizenship. As global citizens and worshipers, we ask that you cooperate fully with all investigations into the charges of sexual abuse that have followed you for over a decade.