Joseph Ratzinger , who would later become pope , `` was not informed of the matter until some 20 years later , '' Lombardi said . The office is in charge of deciding whether accused priests should be given canonical trials and defrocked . `` The case of Lawrence Murphy has been well-documented since the mid-1970s , when allegations were first reported to civil authorities , although criminal charges were not filed , '' the Archdiocese of Milwaukee said in a statement Thursday . `` Murphy 's actions were criminal , and we sincerely apologize to those who have been harmed . The Archdiocese of Milwaukee continues to reach out to victims-survivors who were harmed by Lawrence Murphy and encourages them to report any abuse they suffered . '' Anderson , a lawyer representing five men who are suing the archdiocese , obtained correspondence from Milwaukee to Ratzinger as part of the lawsuit , along with other internal church documents related to the case . The documents , dating to 1974 , include letters between bishops and the Vatican , victims ' affidavits , the handwritten notes of an expert on sexual disorders who interviewed Murphy and minutes of a
Rome , Italy -LRB- CNN -RRB- -- The Vatican did not know about an American priest believed to have molested up to 200 boys until 20 years after civil authorities investigated and then dropped the case , its top spokesman said Thursday . Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi issued the statement in response to a New York Times story alleging that top Vatican officials , including the future Pope Benedict XVI , failed to discipline or defrock the now-deceased Rev. Lawrence C. Murphy of Wisconsin , despite warnings from several American bishops . But Jeff Anderson , a lawyer who obtained the internal church paperwork the newspaper based its story on , said it `` shows a direct line from the victims through the bishops and directly to the man who is now pope . '' Lombardi rejected the accusation . `` During the mid-1970s , some of Father Murphy 's victims reported his abuse to civil authorities , who investigated him at that time , '' Lombardi said . `` However , according to news reports , that investigation was dropped . '' The Vatican 's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith , the office led by Cardinal