US ruling means Vatican not liable over paedophile priest
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A US court has delivered a landmark ruling that the Vatican cannot be held legally liable for the activities of a paedophile priest.
In a 10-year legal battle, an alleged victim of deceased priest Andrew Ronan had sought to have the Vatican held legally responsible.
The decision could shield the Vatican from possible damages claims.
The alleged victim claimed the Vatican was liable because senior officials in Rome knew of the priest’s previous record of abuse while a teacher at the Servites’ Our Lady of Benburb Priory in Co Tyrone — and before he was moved to Chicago and then Portland.
The now 60-year-old man, who claimed he was assaulted by Ronan in the early 1960s in Portland and was named as John V Doe in court documents, argued that the Vatican was Ronan’s employer. According to church documents, Ronan, who was laicised at the time of his death in 1992, admitted sexually assaulting children in Ireland, Chicago and Oregon.
He was a member of the Servite Order and worked at various schools, including Our Lady of Benburb College.
However, US District Court Judge Michael Mosman ruled this week that the Vatican could not be regarded as Ronan’s employer.
The case was important not only because it was the first attempt made to hold the Vatican directly responsible for moving Ronan to different dioceses, where he continued to abuse children, but also because the Holy See was ordered by a court to hand over documents it held in its vaults, again a first.
“There are no facts to create a true employment relationship between Ronan and the Holy See,” said Judge Mosman in his ruling.
John V Doe’s lawyer, Jeff Anderson, said he was saddened and disappointed by the ruling but will be appealing it and “we expect to prevail”.
“We believe that under further scrutiny the courts will find that Vatican protocols and practice make it clear that obedience to Rome required the secrecy, and concealment practised by priests and bishops as the clergy abuse crisis unfolded in the United States,” he said in a statement.
Irish campaigner Andrew Madden said last night the American ruling was not surprising.
“At Vatican level, every effort is made to avoid taking responsibility and that extends to priests who are employees of the church globally,” he said.
However, he added there was a significant judgment in England recently in which a court ruled that diocesan priests were employees of the diocese and the diocese was therefore vicariously responsible for the priest’s conduct.
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8 Comments
Too many bishops have tried to buy too much silence from victims and victim-families, a strategery which has cost the RC church dearly in money (over $3 billion in the USA alone), lost priest-power, endless controversy and worse. Never have the bishops taken responsibility, legal or moral, for this situation, which can only fester and grow until they do. Wishing our opponents “out of the church” is illusory as well as counter-productive. Wounds need to be healed, not reopened or reinfected. And we still have a long journey ahead of us.
Those of you who are so angry with the catholic church and it’s leaders should find a church where you are happy. I would not want to linger in a church where I was unhappy and where I felt I could not trust it’s clergy and staff. Sure, some men who work as priest did bad things but not all priests. I want to know where were the adults and parents of the children claiming sexual abuse? What type of parent would turn their child over to any adult and not ask questions? Why would a 9-15 and above male be assaulted and so many not tell their parents? I know some of you may be insulted but people/humans lie. Some people found it easy to get money out of the church and we are going bankrupt due to these cases of which I believe about 25-30% may be lies. Some stories I believe and some I do not. It is time for the catholic money train to derail.
Thank you Elizabeth; I am a new Catholic having entered into the Church through the R.C.I.A. just over 2 years ago. It is high time that we Catholics begin to speak out in suport of our Bishops and Priests. It is no wonder why it is so difficult to attract young men into the priesthood, when we are assulted not so much by those outside of the Church but by some ? (christians) within our churches.
Elizabeth your comments may be perceived as insensitive and even cruel by the victims of sexual abuse and their parents. Part of the difficulty is understanding the setting up of trust between the perp and the victim and the victims family. This information is available in any Parish and I suggest you read it. Child abuse is an insidious disease and affects many people involved with the victim. Please seek more understanding from your diocese and parish.
Elizabeth — I share your disgust with these negative, chronically complaining posters on this blog. We do need to help those who have been abused; but, it is a very very small minority of priests who have done this, so we should not broad-brush the Church because of the actions of a few very sinful priests. I do acknowledge that sexual abuse, especially by a priest, is very harmful; but, let’s be fair and quit the constant negativity about the Church. People like Florian immediately come to mind as I am writing this. To repeat what you said, Elizabeth: if you hate the Church that much, please leave and leave us alone.
Call off your stonecutters for a few more, this case is on appeal. The Ninth Circuit appears likely to reverse Judge Mosman, a W appointee who is LDS who’s not up to speed on his employment law, or bought by the Cath-Mormon coalition, or both.
I think, and certainly hope, that you’re correct here.
President Harry Truman used to keep something on his desk throughout his presidency. It said, “The Buck Stops Here.” What’s true for “Give ‘em Hell Harry” should be true for the pope. I think I’ll craft pope one and send it to the Vatican.