his former archdiocese has said the pontiff, then known as cardinal joseph ratzinger, was involved in a 1980 decision to move a priest accused of sex abuse into therapy. the same priest, peter hullerman, returned to the clergy and was later convicted of abuse in german court in 1986. even after that episode, he returned to a clerical role suspended again this past monday after new reports surfaced that he was back working with children. the vatican has forcefully denied that benedict had any role in handling the hullerman incident. >> ( translated ): the pope, then archbishop, had absolutely no part in the decisions that led to the placing of this priest in a pastoral position. therefore, there is no reason to accuse him. the pope is a person whose >> reporter: benedict discussed the widening scandal last week with german archbishop robert zollitsch. the archbishop said the pope >> ( translated ): the holy father has received my report with vigilance, great dismay and great distress and we had a very deep conversation about this. we want to unveil the truth and we want an honest clear

the pope was known as cardinal joseph ratzinger.vestigated of abuses by priest. >> he wrote a letter that said every case was to be referred to his department p. >> reporter: vatican officials are praising his investigative work after he took control of abuse cases. according to one of the vatican's top prosecutors who's also a priest he showed great wisdom and firmness in dealing with these cases and he said he showed great courage dealing with the most difficult aun thorniest of them. and tlfrs, herefore, he said, t accuse the pope of a cover-up is false. but the pressure just keeps mounting. newly released details of abuse in germany are raising questions about the pontiff's judgment, even before he came to rome overseeing cases of abuse. he oversaw a case of a priest involved in child abuse. the pope moved the priest from one diocese to another, his own, so that the priest could get therapy. several years later, the priest was convicted of child abuse. the pope's critics say he should have paid more attention at the time, and ta

from 1982 to 2001 then cardinal joseph ratzinger had no direct personal oversight with the sex abuses. >> what's happening in germany and ireland and other places is basically, they are wabing up to what the u.s. catholic archdiocese woke up to years ago. there was a sense that all this stuff was happening in the united states and now it's clear that this has been happening around the world. >> it's obviously a global problem. you are right. at the beginning of the eruption in the states in 2002, there was a tendency in places and i have to say in the vatican to write it off as those nutty americans going off the deep end. it is abundantly clear now that this is truly a global thing. if there is a corner of the catholic world not yet experienced it, they need to be aware that their time has come. >> what will happen to this pope? could he step down? is there that much pressure? >> anderson, i think the prospect of the pope resigning is up there with the prospect of us colliding with another planet. it's unlikely. the deeper problem really is that this calls into question the pope's a

murphy was removed from his job, the archbishop of milwaukee wrote to pope benedict, then cardinal joseph ratzingering to reopen a church investigation. he wrote i'm interested in a healing process from the church to the deaf community. cardinal ratzinger didn't reply. weekland wrote back to his deputy. true scandal in the near future seemed very possible. the case was briefly reopened until reverend murphy wrote to ratzinger pleading for mercy. i'm in poor health, i have repented of any of my past transgressions. ratzinger order the case be dropped and murphy died later that year. the official newspaper called the story a clear and despicable attempt to strike at this pope at any cost. stephanie gosk, nbc news, london. >>> the vatican was asking the diocese to interview the alleged victims in that wisconsin case. >>> police are investigating a horrific accident involving a tractor trailer where 11 people were killed. police say the truck crossed the median on interstate 65 near louisville, kentucky, and hit a passenger van head on. the truck then hit a rock wall and burst into flames. ten people i

. >> reporter: there are questions that began two decades ago when the pope was known as cardinal joseph ratzingerfor 23 years he was the vatican's chief investigator into allegations of abuse by priests. >> in 2001 he wrote to every bishop in the world telling them in the letter that every case of a priest abuse of a child is to be referred to the vatican. >> reporter: they were praising his investigative work after he took control of abuse cases. according to one of the vatican's top prosecutors who is also a priest, cardinal ratzinger showed great wisdom and firmness in dealing with these cases and he said he showed great courage dealing with the most difficult and thorniest of them, and therefore he said to accuse the pope of a cover up is false. but the pressure just keeps mounting. newly released details of abuse in germany are raising questions about the pontiff's judgment, even before he came to rome overseeing cases of abuse. in 1980 when the pope was still a bishop in germany, he oversaw the case of a priest involved in child abuse. the pope moved the priest from one diocese to another,

what did pope benedict know about sex abuse allegations when he served the vatican as cardinal joseph ratzinger? for some 24 years the man we now know as pope benedict oversaw the vatican's office that investigated sex abuse allegations. that fact is key as new allegations surface in europe against pedophile priests. it is actually the decades old story about a now deceased priest in wisconsin that has drawn the pope further into this scandal. we will be joined once again by our cnn senior vatican analyst john allen who is also senior correspondent for "the national catholic reporter" an independent newspaper. john, good morning. good to have you here again. we talked to you a week ago. i guess kind of tell me what has changed in the week since we've talked and also it has got to hurt the vatican and the church's image for people to be asking about the pope when he was, in fact, cardinal ratzinger. what did he know and when did he know it? you don't want to be asking that about a pope. >> hey, t.j. i'm here this morning to play sarah palin to your john mccain. that is, i'm giving you a boost ju

but who showed up in munich during the time from may of '77 to february of '82 that then cardinal joseph ratzinger, now pope benedict, was in charge. the accusation is that then cardinal ratzinger failed to intervene when he should have in preventing this guy from committing other acts of abuse. and, yes, there is deep concern in the vatican that that lays the problem in some ways directly on the pope's doorstep. i mean, that is that it's not just about the overall policies of the church, but it's about the judgment of the pope when he was a bishop 30 years ago, and i think further the fear is that this may not be an isolated case. right now, t.j., there's an army of journalists and victims advocates combing through the records 30 years ago when the pope was in munich trying to see if there were other such instances, and if they come to light, that ultimately could call into question the pope's moral authority to be able to lead the church out of this mess. i think that's the real fear. >> john allen, we appreciate having you and your expertise. thanks so much. we'll talk to you again soon. >>> it

newly revealed documents show murphy was spared punishment by the office of then cardinal joseph ratzinger is now the pope. instead, murphy was ordered to repent and was moved to a new parish. later yesterday a top papal aide denounced the report as part of a conspiracy against the church calling it a clear intention to smear pope benedict at any cost. alleged victims are speaking out. this woman says her father, arthur, was 12 when the abuse began. >> i believe somebody should be punished for this. his innocence was stolen from him. his childhood -- he was very depressed, not happy. he couldn't enjoy his childhood. everything was stolen from him. now he's 61 years old and he's still fighting for this. >> we're joined on the phone by barbara doris, outreach director of those abused by priests. what is it you would like the vatican to do? >> we feel they need to accept responsibility for what was done, and they have a chance to begin to right the wrongs. they could establish an international registry of priests who have been accused of molesting children. turn over to local law enforcement

the charges of misconduct over the years have a common theme: did the pope-- then-cardinal joseph ratzinger-- fail to take appropriate actions against clergy who allegedly committed acts against children? the latest report-- a "new york times" story found that he was copied on a 1980 decision to return a priest who was undergoing therapy for pedophilia to pastoral work in munich. that priest was later convicted of sexual abuse of children. at the time, ratzinger was archbishop of munich. he later directed a vatican office that dealt with sex allegations. a spokesman for the vatican said today the pope "had no knowledge" of the decision to return the german priest to a parish. the latest news report comes on the heels of another "times" story that said the vatican and then-cardinal ratzinger knew about a u.s. priest accused of sexually abusing up to 200 deaf boys at a milwaukee school from the 1950s to the 1970s. the priest was not defrocked, and died in 1998. jeff anderson is the attorney representing the victims. >> all trails involving the cover-up and the concealment of sexual abuse by c

the documents show in 1996, aides to the future pope, then named cardinal joseph ratzinger, had a secret trial. but later when ratzinger received a personal letter from murphy, that trial was shut down. a statement from the vatican this morning said the future pope only learned about the case decades after the abuse. and his office hazarded the situation, by restricting father murphy's ministry. and that he accept the full responsibility for the gravity of his acts. murphy died in 1998. and he was still a priest. >> still a priest at that time. those documents, people will have to take a close look at that. i don't have to tell you what's going on in europe right n with the pope. a big scandal in ireland and in other countries. >> and in germany, as well. there's questions how he handled allegations of sexual abuse when he was archbishop in germany. the timing is tricky for the vatican and this pope. >> how about the stories we're hearing from the alleged victims in wisconsin? >> one in particular stands out of a boy, he is now a man. at the time, he talks about the horror of his abuse.

murphy was removed from his job, the archbishop of milwaukee wrote to pope benedict, then cardinal joseph ratzinger, asking to re-open a church investigation. he wrote, "i am interested in a healing process from the church to the deaf community." cardinal ratzinger didn't reply. he wrote back to ratzinger's deputy. "true scandal in the near future seems very possible." the case was briefly re-opened until reverend murphy wrote to ratzinger pleading for mercy. i am in poor health. i have repented of any of my past transgressions. ratzinger ordered the case be dropped. murphy died later that year. on the wisconsin case, the vatican hit back hard. the official newspaper called the story a clear and despicable attempt to strike at this pope at any cost. ann? >> stephanie gosk, thank you so much this morning. >>> we want to get a check of the rest of the morning's top stories from natalie morales in for ann at the news desk. >>> good morning, everyone. today at the white house more help for the millions of homeowners who owe more than their homes are worth to try to stem the foreclosure crisis. nbc's ch

revealed documents show years later murphy was spared formal punishment by the office of cardinal joseph ratzingeris such a huge issue for the vatican. it's been a difficult issue for them for over the past ten years. but this case brings home this recurring problem. 200 young boys, according to these reports. >> oh, god. >> molested by a single priest. think of the lives he destroyed. and then the vatican doesn't -- doesn't do anything. i mean, if you find out what he's molested one boy, he should be driven out of the church. >> we're talking 200. >> and 200 and then he's just reassigned? >> that's what we know of. >>> toyota is stopping production in britain and frans france for a total of nine days amid weak demand. it comes after the world's top automaker recalled 8.5 million cars over braking and gad pedal problems with "uss sales dropping 9% in february, toyota has launched a flood of incentives to try and lure buyers back. >> coming up next, will the gop run on repealing is the reform law? we're going to bring in dr. john barassa. melody joins us for a political roundtable. keep it right he