Former Pope Benedict XVI knew about priests who allegedly sexually abused children in Germany’s Munich diocese but failed to act when he was archbishop, a probe found Thursday.  

The long-awaited report on sexual abuse in the Catholic Church faulted the since-retired pope’s handling of four cases when he was archbishop in the 1970s and 1980s. 

Benedict, now 94, strongly denies any wrongdoing, according to the report handed down by Munich law firm Westpfahl Spilker Wastl.

The law firm had been asked by the Archdiocese of Munich to investigate allegations of sexual abuse between 1945 and 2019 — and look at whether church officials handled the claims correctly. 

The two-year probe found there were at least 497 victims of abuse, mainly young males — and many other cases had likely not been reported.

Benedict, who was known as Joseph Ratzinger when he was archbishop in Munich, was accused of “misconduct” in four cases, the report said.

Two of the cases involved perpetrators who offended while Benedict was in charge and were punished by the judicial system — but they were still allowed to carry out their pastoral work without any limits, according to the report.

In a third case, a cleric who had been convicted by a court outside Germany was still permitted by Benedict to work in the Munich archdiocese.

The lawyers who authored the report said Benedict knew of the priest’s history.

The fourth case involved a pedophile priest who was transferred to Munich to undergo therapy and resume pastoral work, which was approved under Ratzinger in 1980.

In that case, which gained attention in 2010 when the church abuse scandal erupted, the church said the decision was made by a lower-ranking official without consulting Benedict. 

The report said Benedict’s claim that he didn’t attend a meeting in 1980 where the priest’s transfer was discussed lacked credibility.

The priest in that case received a suspended sentence in 1986 for molesting a boy.

Benedict gave extensive written testimony for the report, according to the lawyers.

“In all cases, Emeritus Pope Benedict XVI strictly denies any wrongdoing on his part,” the report said.

Benedict has been living in the Vatican since resigning as pontiff in 2013.

A Vatican spokesman said the Catholic Church, currently headed by Pope Francis, would hold off commenting until it had read the report in full.

With Post wires