Father Luke Ballman was ordained a deacon by then-Cardinal Ratzinger in 1999.
The Archdiocese of Atlanta celebrated a Mass in honor of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI Thursday evening.
He is remembered as a staunch conservative who opposed modernizing reforms and as the first pope to step down since the 15th century.
The report on the former archbishop of Washington, Theodore McCarrick, who was defrocked last year, states that Popes John Paul II and Benedict XVI were aware of the accusations of sexual misconduct.
