Judge rules Vatican not immune from abuse lawsuit; Vatican appeals

Published: 2006-06-09

PORTLAND, Ore. (CNS) -- A federal judge in Portland ruled June 7 that the Holy See is not entitled to sovereign immunity from a clergy sex abuse lawsuit that named it as a defendant. The next day the Vatican appealed the ruling by U.S. District Judge Michael W. Mosman to the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Mosman had denied the Vatican motion to be removed as a defendant in the case, saying that the Foreign Sovereign Immunity Act does not entitle the Holy See to immunity in this case because "without warning parishioners of a known danger (the Holy See) placed a priest it knew to be a child molester in a position in which, for the third time, he would have access to minors." He said there was enough of a connection between the Vatican and the priest accused of the molestation for the priest to be considered a Vatican employee under Oregon law. Minnesota attorney Jeff Anderson, the lawyer for the plaintiff in the case, called the June 7 ruling "a tremendously significant victory" for his client and other victims of clergy sexual abuse.

Copyright (c) 2006 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .