Vatican fuming
More Vatican rage at being treated like people as opposed to quasi-gods.
On the same day that Belgian police raided church offices to seize documents in a sex abuse probe, the Vatican found itself in the courts of another country, this time the United States, trying to fend off attempts to interrogate the pope and other senior Vatican officials in another case involving clerical sexual abuse.
Vatican attorneys filed a brief on Thursday in U.S. District Court in Kentucky in the case of O’Bryan v. Holy See, opposing requests from lawyers representing three sex abuse victims for depositions of four figures at the very top of the church’s power structure…
Ratzinger, “the Vatican’s Secretary of State” (whatever the hell that means), the Inquisitor, and the ambassador to the US.
The requests, the Vatican lawyers argued, are “unprecedented – akin to a foreign plaintiff seeking a foreign court order compelling the depositions of the United States President, Vice President, Secretary of Defense and ambassador.”
No, more like akin to a foreign plaintiff seeking a foreign court order compelling the depositions of the CEO, the CFO, and two other executives of a corporation in a criminal case. Not legally, to be sure (I know, Russell!), but in reality. Corporations are a good deal more accountable than the Vatican is though.
Did you see this one?
Keep it under wraps, pope urges
http://www.timeslive.co.za/world/article523806.ece/Keep-it-under-wraps-pope-urges
Did you see these two, Bruce?
http://www.independent.ie/world-news/americas/vatican-can-be-sued-over-abuse-us-supreme-court-2238272.html
http://www.independent.ie/world-news/europe/harsh-words-by-top-cardinal-spark-rebuff-2238311.html
Marie
The second it looks to be the same story I was linking to. The thing of it being that it demonstrates that the Vatican still has a culture of cover-up when it comes to child abuse.
The first I had missed though – it brings me a certain amount of hope that at least more details will be revealed, leading to more countries being leery of giving the church more kids to abuse.
It makes for very scary reading :
I blame respective global governments for allowing the Church to wield so much power.
(The sight of the long veiled and round white collared figures flash before me as I see them creeping in with bowed heads and briefcases to Dail Eireann.)
It is great to see that Belgium took the bull by the horn, as it has gotten away with blue murder everywhere it has wreaked havoc.
Despite the Laffoy/Ryan Report there have not been prosecutions and when it was recently pointed out to the government by a prominent survivor abuse group leader, it just went on deaf ears.
The Irish church is still very much in cahoots with the State. The politicians are products of it and mostly do not know any different. They are mostly either in awe or fearful of the church. Andrew Madden was not at first listened to when he went to the taoiseach to ask for an inquiry. Bertie Ahern, of whom it was stated publicly, that he was a daily communicant did not want to get embroiled in the church. He was on such friendly terms with it.
Colm O’ Gorman author of ‘Beyond Belief’ tried to sue the pope but got nowhere, so it is refreshing to read that the Vatican found itself in the courts of another country.