Radio Netherlands
April 1, 2010
http://www.rnw.nl/international-justice/article/us-lawyer-challenges-pope-sex-abuse
UNITED STATES -- US lawyer William McMurray is taking legal action against Pope Benedict XVI in connection with the sexual abuse of children by Roman Catholic priests.
The lawyer has submitted a lawsuit in the US state of Kentucy, seeking to have the Pope heard under oath about the abuse.
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| Pope Benedict XVI |
Mr McMurray is representing three men who say they were sexually abused by priests. He says that, the Pople, in his previous capacity as cardinal, was aware of sexual abuse in the United States, but tried to cover it up to protect the reputation of the church.
Cardinal Ratzinger was responsible for dealing with cases of sexual abuse by priests as leader of the Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF). Letters published in the New York Times reveal that he was informed of a case of a serial peadophile, Father Lawrence Murphy, who is accused of molesting up to 200 boys at a school for the deaf in Wisconsin in the 1950s and 1960s. Father Murphy was not defrocked.
Meanwhile the Vatican has criticised the newspaper's reporting of the incident. In response the New York Times says its reporting was "meticulous" and that no-one had cast doubts on the facts reported.
It is unlikely that Pope Benedict will appear before a judge. As head of state of the Vatican, the pontiff has immunity under international law.
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