Vatican asks Rice for help in sex abuse lawsuit

[seemslikeadream]

Issue Date: March 11, 2005

By JOHN L. ALLEN JR.
Rome

Alongside predictable exchanges on Iraq, the Middle East and religious liberty, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in her Feb. 8 visit to the Vatican received an unexpected request -- to intervene in a U.S. lawsuit naming the Holy See as the defendant in a sex abuse case.

Church sources told NCR that Rice was asked by Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Vatican’s secretary of state, whether the U.S. government could stop a class-action lawsuit currently before a U.S. District Court in Louisville, Ky., that seeks to hold the Vatican financially responsible for the sexual abuse of minors.

Sources told NCR that Rice explained that under American law, foreign states are required to assert claims of sovereign immunity themselves before U.S. courts.

Vatican spokesperson Joaquín Navarro-Valls, asked by NCR for comment, responded March 2: “It’s obvious and reasonable that the Holy See would present its positions as a sovereign entity to the American State Department, and recall the immunity for its acts that international law anticipates.”

It’s not the first time, according to observers, that the Vatican has asked the State Department for help on a legal matter.

more
http://ncronline.org/NCR_Online/archives2/2005a/031105/031105h.php

[cally]

1. Payback for the Catholic Church supporting Bush

Now we know why they did it.

[seemslikeadream]

3. 243 victims, whom he said were abused by 38 priests over 30 years.

McMurry said that he’s awaiting a decision on his request to depose victims. Eventually, McMurry said, he wants to depose Vatican officials, to establish “what they knew and when they knew it.”

McMurry said he’s financing the lawsuit personally, and that he knows it’s “high-risk litigation.” Yet he said he has “fire in the belly” out of his experience of representing 243 victims, whom he said were abused by 38 priests over 30 years.

“This won’t be over until the party who is directly accountable is brought to justice, and in my opinion that’s the Holy See,” he said.

[elehhhhna]

2. Yep. Quid pro quo. Explains a LOT.

[nothingshocksmeanymore]

5. Gotta keep that Latin alive

[applegrove]

11. I was just going to say QPQ. n/t

[GetTheRightVote]

4. well, well, well, hummm, this plot is soaking in oil and blood

Minors have no rights anymore or what, this is plain sick, and not very holy either !!!!

:kick:

[GodlessBiker]

6. Not "Help us reach a settlement with the victims of these horrible crimes"

but "get us immunity." Tells you a lot about where their heads are.

[NYC]

8. The Vatican has plenty of money.

Why are they against compensating victims? Compensating victims would be humane. The Vatican can afford to do so.

Why the greed/selfishness?

[TaleWgnDg]

9. indeed . . .

.

[dback]

7. I've wondered about suing Phil Gramm over 9/11...

Think about it: he knew that around 1998 that Clinton was trying to freeze terrorists' assets in offshore bank accounts, like those in the Cayman Islands. Gramm opposed the legislation, because he, like many Republicans, had money in similar off-shore accounts (tax free, baby). He helped lead the legislation to defeat, claiming it was too "onerous" to the banking industry. Terrorist money continues to flow for another couple years, right up through 9/11. Orrin Hatch would also be potentially liable, for his refusal to consider Gore's push to pressure the FAA and secure/reinforce airline cockpit doors.

We can dream, can't we?

[MountainLaurel]

12. Yep

And one of Bush's first acts as president was to try to weaken money laundering statutes and the agencies that enforce them.

[Name removed]

10. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[shadowknows69]

13. So we as a government are going to protect

these monsters in priests uniforms. Why not. I keep saying now I've seen everything and then I have to revise.

[Heidi]

14. Kick. (eom)

[Moderator]

15. locking not Latest Breaking News

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=1281847

[NNN0LHI]

16. I knew there had to be Quid Pro Quo activity going on between these crooks

They are all just like the mafia only worse.

Don