Benedict reflected on his legacy at the end of his letter, noting that he is at the end of his life and will soon be judged by God.
“Quite soon, I shall find myself before the final judge of my life,” he wrote. “Even though, as I look back on my long life, I can have great reason for fear and trembling, I am nonetheless of good cheer. For I trust firmly that the Lord is not only the just judge, but also the friend and brother who himself has already suffered for my shortcomings.”
The head of the German bishops conference, Limburg Bishop Georg Baetzing, had previously said that Benedict needed to respond to the report by distancing himself from his lawyers and advisers.
“He must talk, and he must override his advisers and essentially say the simple sentence: ‘I incurred guilt, I made mistakes and I apologize to those affected,” Baetzing said. ”It won’t work any other way.”
Baetzing didn’t immediately comment Tuesday on Benedict’s response.
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Geir Moulson contributed from Berlin.
This article originally appeared on APNews.com.
