New abuse allegations land close to the pope

When Pope Benedict XVI was still Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, he did not defrock a priest who allegedly molested as many as 200 deaf boys over the course of decades, according to records obtained by The New York Times.

The Times obtained internal Vatican communications that show several bishops had been told of the behavior of Father Lawrence Murphy of Wisconsin and did nothing for many years. When they finally did forward the matter to the Vatican it was to the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, headed by then-Cardinal Ratzinger. The office never required a canonical trial that could have led to the defrocking of Father Murphy. Instead he was moved to another diocese where he continued to have regular interaction with children in schools, the parish and even a juvenile detention center.

New York Times national religion correspondent, Laurie Goodstein, uncovered the documents and reports on what this means for the Vatican and the Pope himself. Also, since this happened more than a decade ago, has the Catholic Church changed? Are they taking more actions now?

We also speak with Walter Robinson, who led the Boston Globe’s investigative unit which documented in 2002 and 2003 sexual abuse within the Boston Archdiocese. The coverage won the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Public Service.