Lawyer says church threatened if Canadian court allows it to be sued

Published: 2004-01-13

OTTAWA (CNS) -- The charity work of the Catholic Church and church-run organizations in Canada could be crippled if the Supreme Court of Canada rules that the church can be sued, a lawyer said. Such a decision would mean "every Catholic organization, whether it's corporate or unincorporated, whether it's lay or religious, will be subject to being sued as one corporate entity," said lawyer William Sammon. Sammon is representing the Canadian Conference of Catholic Bishops in a case on whether the church can retain its legal immunity. The case was to be heard by the Supreme Court Jan. 15. If the court rules against the church, the decision would "expose the assets of all of these charitable organizations to the endless liability involved in the Indian residential school litigation and other litigation," he said.

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