Posted on 11/28/2008 10:48:14 AM PST by Alex Murphy
The sexual-abuse litigation that has raged for years against the Catholic church just got a lot more interesting.
In a landmark ruling yesterday, the Sixth Circuit concluded that the Vatican could be held liable for negligence in sexual-abuse cases filed in the U.S. It is the first time a circuit court reached that conclusion, and the opinion is considered a breakthrough by those allegedly abused by priests. Here’s the WSJ story.
Catholic dioceses in the U.S. have paid out more than $3 billion to alleged abuse victims, most of that coming since the scandal broke open nationwide in 2002. Click here to view the 1962 document that discusses Vatican policy on secrecy in dealing with complaints of a sexual nature against clergy.
The Sixth Circuit ruling came in a Kentucky case filed by three men who claim they were abused as children by priests. The Vatican claimed the suit was barred under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act.
The circuit court concluded that the Vatican was a foreign state, eligible for immunity. But, the court held, the plaintiffs could still sue the Vatican under an exception to the Sovereign Immunities Act, which allows suits that assert damages caused by the “tortious act” of a foreign state or any of its officials or employees.
The ruling “opens the door to other clams against the Catholic church,” says Jonathan Levy, a Washington, D.C., attorney who represents concentration-camp survivors in a suit against numerous parties including the Vatican bank. The Vatican, in that case, prevailed on sovereign-immunity grounds.
In the Kentucky case, the U.S. District Court in Louisville still must decide whether U.S. bishops are employees of the Vatican, and whether they acted on the Holy See’s orders.
(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.wsj.com ...
Now, back to the point ~ the court didn't say the Catholic church is a state, just that the Vatican, which is a state, can be sued under a special law which can be used against other states.
I think there is currently an American Cardinal present at the Vatican (in a rather non-operative position) who is the real target of this lawsuit. He fled the US to the Vatican lest he end up sued down to his sandles.
will not happen. thank God.
You wrote:
“Actually, the Mennonites make a better case than the Catholics for being founded directly by Jesus (although that claim is not widely known).”
The Mennonites were founded by an excommunicated Catholic priest named Menno Simons - hence MENNOnites.
That in itself would seem to put the lie to any Mennonite claims of antiquity. Also, the earlier roots of the Mennonites in the Anabaptist movement is EXTREMELY well documented and does not go further back than 1517. PERIOD.
“Now, back to the point ~ the court didn’t say the Catholic church is a state, just that the Vatican, which is a state, can be sued under a special law which can be used against other states.”
And I doubt it will go much further than that.
“I think there is currently an American Cardinal present at the Vatican (in a rather non-operative position) who is the real target of this lawsuit. He fled the US to the Vatican lest he end up sued down to his sandles.”
Untrue. If you mean Law, he did not flee from the US, nor would fleeing from the US prevent him from being sued. Please think.
This is the homosexual left at work. Send in the frontline queers. Assault the choir boys. Bleed the diocese of wealth. Then sack the Vatican. It's the queer communists undermining religion.
If they can destroy the Vatican, they’ll go after the Mormons next. Any organized religion is a danger to them.
I get a kick out of Sammy boy here, “just kick the Catholics out of the country”. What a bone head. That’s what your saying right. Yea We will leave and leave this country to you nut jobs
How do you go about “proving” a supposedly sexual act that may or may not have taken place 20 years ago? Do you have witnesses? And just who are you saying that should be deported - the victim? I suspect that may of the so-called victims discovered a way to make money of the church
You are not very clear with your rant.
You’re an idiot. Plain and simple that was about the stupidest thing I’ve ever seen posted here. Moron.
That’s because none other are seperate sovereign nations. The Vatican is. The defendents in these cases have absolutely no need to sue the Vatican. They’re sued the dioceses and have sucked over 3 billion dollars out of us already. Enough is enough!
“Anyone who can prove that they were molested by a Priest should be able to sue the Vatican. If they want to deny these people and claim they’re a foreign state and immune, kick them out of the country.”
I was molested and I don’t blame anyone but the priest, and possibly the bishop from his home country/diocese who may/may not have known about his pedophilia.
The vatican and the pope had nothing to do with what happened to me.
“He fled the US to the Vatican lest he end up sued down to his sandles.”
Untrue.
He did not flee.
The authorities chose not to pursue a criminal case against him.
The Vatican removed him from his diocese and gave him a position at a basilica, basically as a fundraiser.
The Vatican then appointed another bishop to tackle the fallout.
Law’s diocese was sued.
“Meanwhile, I’d like to make a class-action claim against the estate of John Dewey for the acts of sexual abuse of minors committed by public school teachers, which outnumber offenses by priests by a factor of 5, or 10, or 100, depending on the study. Lotta money in those numbers.”
Yes - can we sue all the universities who train these teachers?
I would never presume to speak on the religious significance here, but legally, when you get two countries in the mix, each can issue its own legal findings and judgements. So international cases often “go nowhere” because each country’s rulings trump the others, in that country. Civil suits even moreso.
Humanity should be able to sue your parents for spawning a mental eunuch.
One of these days “Murphy” is going to screw up and post one of these while he’s logged in as the Religion Moderator.
Bravo Sierra. You should read Saint Ignatius of Antioch's Letter to the Smyrneans, 107 AD; obviously for the first time, and then return and correct your post.
Sixth Circus
Don’t know anything about the case, but what can the court do if the Vatican tells it to shove it! Arrest the Pope?
Sorry, they argue their claim all the way back to Jerusalem and the church there ~
I think Law had "friends in high places or something", right?
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