BERLIN (Reuters), – Cardinal Reinhard Marx, Archbishop of Munich, apologized to victims of historical sexual abuse within his archdiocese following a scandal report. He was also criticized for his dealings with Pope Benedict XVI.

Marx stated in a statement that “As the current Archbishop, we apologise for any suffering caused to people in the vicinity of the church over recent decades.”

A report on sexual abuse allegations in the Archdioceses Munich and Freising was released earlier by Westpfahl Spilker Wastl. This report was commissioned by archdiocese and stated that there were at minimum 497 victims.

Reports state that the archbishop was an influential progressive from the Church and had mishandled 2 cases. He has not been accused of participating in any abuses or covering-ups.

Marx claimed that changes have been made over the last 10 year but were still needed. Marx also stressed the importance to push forward with the Synodal Path, a movement that aims to give lay Catholics more control over church operations.

Marx, whose resignation offer last year in the abuse crisis caused by Marx was rejected by Pope Francis, stated that “Now is the right time to grab the momentum and take further steps towards the future.”

Marx indicated that Marx would read the report carefully and analyze it thoroughly before presenting a detailed response the following week.

While a spokesperson for Benedict didn’t immediately reply to my request, the Vatican stated that it will evaluate the entire report and review its details.