Sixth Circuit: Vatican Can Be Sued for Sexual Abuse

Source: WSJ

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.

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.

Read more: http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2008/11/25/sixth-circuit-vatican-can-be-sued-for-sexual-abuse/

And the State Department will also get involved as it deals with relations with a foreign country.

...if it just decided to do the right thing.

since the current Vatican makeup is going farther and faster backwards each day. Discussion and debate in the Church will eventually be totally stifled at all levels (we are pretty close to that spot today in many parts of the country).

Justice Roberts, Justice Scalia, Justice Kennedy, Justice Thomas and Justice Alito
might find a conflict of interest.

:woohoo:

...but usually has a longer statute of limitations. And it is easier to prove.

about 1980. We were all pretty dumb about sexual abuse back then. There was a big scandal about 1980 when people first started stepping forward. Most state legislators also passed laws requiring teachers and medical personnel to report possible cases of sexual abuse to the police. IMO, any bishop who failed to report sexual abuse after that date is guilty of aiding and abetting.

If we were all so ignorant, why were there laws on the books and why was it all hush-hush? No need to cover-up things that are ok.

There is not a Bishop in this country who hasn't been dirty on this thing. Not one and they all know it.

NT!

I was thinking about the written code of silence that was forced upon the perpetrators in the church. Furious that these crimes go on and on withoug justice.

And then it hit me-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLZKEre3yJ0

My mind is not normal. :)

:eyes:

the Vatican ordered the protection of priests who were rapists and expelled men who wished to marry. If we allowed those men to return, there would be no priest shortage in the US today!

I can see this one getting ugly fast.

as the Vatican is both the home office of the Catholic Church, but also a sovereign nation.


Could be fun to watch for the legal nuances.

:popcorn:

nt

peace~

and a salary in the six figures, plus allowances for travel, food, legal, and other expenses.

He also caused so much irreparable harm, mental trauma, damage and abuse, that he belongs in jail. Under his orders, the Boston Archdiocese lied under oath, transferred sex criminals, covered up events, blackmailed families, destroyed documents, hid evidence, and did everything in its power to keep the truth out. Even when they began to settle cases, Law demanded confidentiality agreements and more. Law is a pig and deserves everything our justice system can offer. Instead, he has been rewarded by the vatican. Most importantly, the guy who oversaw much of the church's self-investigation and set the tone for Law and others, was the Rat himself. The current papish asshole.

As soon as the pedophile scandal hit, I became a Recovering Catholic. I didn't go to church anyway, but all the stories that came out sickened me. I remember one of the pedophile priests being killed in jail...it's all so hazy. And to think, the Vatican is richer than many countries.
I thought he just had a safe haven. I never realized that the old bastard was rewarded with so much money. I can't think straight when this topic comes up. He's going to burn in hell.


peace~

1) Require that as part of the settlement the church involved at the time of the sexual abuse have their deed transferred to the federal government and either sold to someone that will not use it for Catholic related purposes or torn down.

or

2) The next priest found guilty of sexual abuse be sent over and crucified outside the Vatican.

I know. I know. Too drastic.

Take those monsters to the cleaners.

that was his job before he became the prince of princes.

NT!

given the conspiracy that the Vatican has effectuated over the past 4 decades. The harm that this criminal organization has committed is almost unbelievable. HELL, the whole history of the Vatican is one of torture, abuse, crimes, murder, war, and worse.

Come on, who really believes in this day and age that the Vatican City, smaller than some malls and with a population of less than 1000, deserves the status of a sovereign state, with all that that implies? It's a transparent fiction which only persists by consensus. End the consensus.

People (aka pieces of shit) that knowingly harbor and protect predators need to be liable.

Sadly I don't think that anything will happen.