Pope Benedict XVI accused of obstructing justice

The Observer has obtained a confidential letter, written in May of 2001, in which then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, aka Pope Benedict XVI, issued an order ensuring that the sex abuse scandal cases be carried out secretly. The letter not only claims the church's "right" to hold secret investigations, but also to hold on to evidence for up to ten years after the alleged victims reach adulthood.

"Cases of this kind are subject to the pontifical secret," the letter says. And anyone breaking the secrecy within the time between the investigation and ten years after the alleged victim's 18th birthday would be subject to excommunication.

The letter is referred to in documents pertaining to a lawsuit filed this year against a church in Texas.

The Vatican's response to the news about the letter? "This is not a public document, so we would not talk about it."