Court Refuses to Halt Sex Abuse Case Against Vatican

The US Supreme Court has rejected a Vatican appeal for immunity from prosecution in an Oregon sex abuse case. The lawsuit—filed by a man who charges that a priest abused him in the 60s—will now go to trial in the state, where a judge will decide if priests can be considered employees of the Vatican, thereby allowing the Vatican to be sued under an exemption to the law granting immunity to foreign states.

Vatican lawyers had urged federal courts to throw out the lawsuit, arguing that the priest-Vatican relationship wasn't an employee-employer one. "I have known for 25 years that all roads lead to Rome," the plaintiff's attorney told AP. "This is the beginning for us of a new journey, a uniquely difficult odyssey." A similar suit is making its way through the courts in Kentucky.
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