Paolo CoccoCardinal Joseph Ratzinger presides at the Easter Vigil in St. Peter’s Basilica March 26, 2005. During his meditation on Ninth Station on the Way of the Cross the night before, the cardinal decried ‘how much filth there is in the Church.’
COMMENTARY: While his handling of clergy sexual abuse and his unprecedented resignation from the papacy give rise to legitimate criticisms, on balance he made a positive contribution in both cases.