By Charlie Butts
One News Now
May 27, 2010
http://www.onenewsnow.com/Legal/Default.aspx?id=1026196
An Oregon man abused by a priest has sued the Vatican and is now trying to get the U.S. Supreme Court to accept the case.
The latest development is that the U.S. Justice Department has filed a brief siding with the Vatican and suggesting that lower courts erred in ruling that the case could move forward. The National Catholic Reporter notes that, according to experts, it is the first time the U.S. government has officially expressed an opinion about efforts to sue the Vatican in American courts.
David Clohessy (SNAP)David Clohessy, executive director of the Survivors Network of Those Abused by Priests (SNAP), tells OneNewsNow his organization is disappointed in the stance taken by the government.
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| Clohessy |
"Despite literally thousands of civil lawsuits and settlements...hundreds of criminal prosecutions...media exposes...critical editorials and substantial parishioner outrage, despite all of those factors, we in SNAP still see very, very little genuine reform on the part of the Catholic hierarchy," Clohessy laments.
He prefers that the case go forward. "Frankly, we applaud any reasonable new effort or approach that might help force Catholic bishops and Catholic officials to really protect children first rather than protecting predators first," he notes.
The Supreme Court could send the case back to the lower courts for further work, dismiss the case, or refuse to consider it. The latter would mean lower-court rulings in favor of proceeding with the litigation would stand.
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