A report accuses him of failing to act in four cases of abuse during his time as archbishop of Munich.
The allegations come from a report commissioned by the archdiocese of Munich and Freising, which analyzes how abuses were handled between 1945 and 2019.
The Pope spoke highly of his predecessor at the presentation ceremony for the Joseph Ratzinger prize.
"Benedict XVI. The First Pope Emeritus of History" was presented in the Italian Parliament.