I am no fan of Francis but he met with victims of priest/abusers in Philadelphia and expressed himself extensively on the subject. More likely he is avoiding ACTION on the matter because so many of the abusers are homosexual pedophiles and therefore likely to be his “progressive” supporters. They are the termites in the wooden structures of Holy Mother the Church. Benedict is a very old and frail man, He may just have lacked the stamina to fight the termites. If you understand his career and his quality, he has no fear and no reason to fear consequences. revulsion or the legal mess. He is older than was Thurgood Marshall when he resigned from SCOTUS telling reporters that he was old and tired and wanted the chance to rest.
So, what is the excuse you are proffering?
That’s the problem. No Pope will act to rid the clergy of these vermin. They should be subject to local civil law and sent to jail. Just defrocking or reassignment is not enough. Whoever is Pope needs to have a set of balls.