Posted on 11/17/2018 6:15:17 PM PST by marshmallow
Washington D.C., Nov 15, 2018 / 02:44 pm (CNA/EWTN News).- The U.S. bishops' conference and the Holy See face a class action lawsuit filed by six men who claim they were sexually abused by Catholic clergy during their childhoods. They are seeking financial damages as well as public contrition and reparation from the Church.
The 80-page suit filed Nov. 13 claims that the Vatican and the bishops knew about - and covered up for - the “endemic, systemic, rampant, and pervasive rape and sexual abuse” of the plaintiffs and others at the hands of active members of the clergy, religious orders, and other Church representatives.
The suit opens by invoking two passages of Scripture: “(B)ut people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed,” and: “Have nothing to do with the fruitless deeds of darkness, but rather, expose them.”
Rather than protect the plaintiffs, the lawsuit says Church leaders protected and - “incredibly” - promoted the offenders.
These kinds of “wrongful actions, inaction, omissions, cover-up, deception, and concealment” create a “conspiracy of silence to their financial and reputational benefit and to Plaintiffs’ and Class Members’ personal, mental, psychological, and financial detriment.” These actions are “ongoing and continuous” the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit was filed Tuesday at U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C. by four attorneys representing six individuals who lived in six different states at the time the abuse occurred - Iowa, California, Mississippi, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Illinois. It does not specifically detail the cases of abuse reportedly suffered by the individuals.
(Excerpt) Read more at catholicnewsagency.com ...
The lawsuit will have no effect on the guilty parties.
Faithful Catholics who had nothing whatsoever to do with this will be expected to pay the lawyers and the settlements.
THIS is what its going to take to set things right.
Given the current state of the organization, the CC may not have enough to pay off the lawsuits.
I’m not saying it will be the end of the Church - but it will look much different once this gets finished.
It is no longer possible to hide the filth that infests the organization....all the way to and including the top.
Also, I think the way is open to sue the Vatican now. This was tried before, but you can’t sue a head of a foreign state unless it can be proved that the state directly controlled the parties who carried out the acts that are the basis for the suit.The Vatican always argued that the bishops acted independently.
However, Francis’ incredible act of arrogance and hubris in telling the most recent USCCB synod not to take any steps in developing a policy for dealing with these things, but to wait until they hear from the Vatican in February, effectively destroyed that argument. In addition, the fact that the bishops all obediently fell into line and did as ordered shows that they are, in fact, under the control of a foreign state. So maybe some cardinals should be getting ready to say bye-bye to their luxurious apartments, and Francis himself should be packing to get out of the two floors he occupies at the five star Vatican hotel known as Santa Marta.
This is going to be interesting. Typical tactic is to claim no connection between the parish and the upper level on a corporate view. This has allowed billions of dollars of assets to be sheltered. Not sure how this case will work out
If they sold their art possessions they could pay it all and have enough left over to continue their homo-predations for another century.
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