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	U.K. Court Holds Catholic Church Liable for Alleged Molestation by Priest Chronicle of Philanthropy November 9, 2011 http://philanthropy.com/blogs/philanthropytoday/u-k-court-holds-catholic-church-liable-for-alleged-molestation-by-priest/41892 Britain's High Court has ruled that the Roman Catholic Church can be held responsible for wrongdoing by a priest, deciding in favor of a woman who claims she was sexually assaulted in the 1970s in a children's home, the BBC reports. The ruling, stemming for a July hearing but previously unannounced, states that the diocese of Portsmouth in southern England "may be vicariously liable" for the priest's actions. Attorneys for the alleged victim said the ruling was the first by a British judicial body that the link between priests and bishops is akin to an employment relationship and thus imposes liability on the church, an interpretation the diocese disputed. Jon Brown of the National Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children hailed the ruling, saying it "rightly places the responsibility on the church to ensure that they select and monitor priests carefully" and that the church should "take steps to protect children when there are concerns."
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