Suits agains the Holy See, the Pope, and the Secretary of State Withdrawn

Within the last day, the suits against the Holy See, the Pope, and Cardinals Sodano and Bertone (past and current Secretaries of State) have been withdrawn by Jeffrey Anderson and Marci Hamilton, attorneys for the Plaintiffs in the sex abuse cases involving children at the Milwaukee-area school for the deaf during the period 1950 to 1974.

The Vatican Radio announcement about the withdrawals is here.

Plaintiffs' counsel had relied on the so-called "smoking gun" of the 1922 document Crimen Sollicitantionis; however, reliance on this document involving the seal of the confessional was unfounded. It was also problematic for plaintiffs' counsel to argue incessantly that those allegedly responsible for the torts and crimes against the children were "employees of the Vatican."

I am certain that more will be said about these withdrawals and their impact on Mr. Anderson's and Professor Hamilton's efforts to implicate the universal Church. But, for the time being, fact and reason appear to be focusing these cases where they should be.

RJA sj