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	Order Sought for Pope's Testimony Associated Press, carried in Kentucky.com May 13, 2008 http://www.kentucky.com/news/state/story/403206.html LOUISVILLE — An attorney is seeking a court order to question Pope Benedict XVI in an ongoing church sex abuse case, saying the holy father is the most knowledgeable person alive about what the Roman Catholic Church knew about sex abuse allegations. Louisville attorney William McMurry said that because the pope is 81 years old, he may not be available to give testimony later in the case. "The passage of time not only raises questions of Pope Benedict XVI's continued availability but also increases the likelihood that his memory of events dating back many years will grow less reliable," McMurry said. The request comes in a suit brought by three men alleging the Vatican orchestrated a cover-up of priests sexually abusing children in the United States since 1962. McMurry is seeking class-action status. The 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati is considering the case. Before he was pope, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger was prefect of the Congregation of the Doctrine of Faith and oversaw reports of sexual abuse by priests. That office and its predecessor, the Congregation of the Holy Office, were directly involved with investigating sexual abuse by clerics.
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