By Jana Shortal
KARE
March 26, 2010
http://www.kare11.com/news/news_article.aspx?storyid=846987&catid=14
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ST. PAUL, Minn. -- Lawyers from Saint Paul are representing five people who claim they were victims of abuse by a priest at a deaf school in Wisconsin between 1950 and 1974.
It's a case that's getting international attention Thursday because it allegedly involves action by the Pope.
In 1996 Milwaukee Archbisop Rembert Weakland wrote a letter to then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now the Pope to let them hold a church trial against Father Lawrence Murphy who was accused of molesting some 200 boys.
Eight months later the archbishop got a letter back from the Vatican telling them to follow church law and start looking into it.
At no time was Father Murphy taken out of his role as a priest working with children.
By 1998 the church decided, after hearing from Father Murphy that he had repented, the case be dropped.
Father Murphy was transferred to the Superior, Wisconsin diocese in the late 1970's after the sexual abuse allegedly happened.
He continued working with children in schools and churches until his death 1998.
St. Paul attorney Jeff Anderson has prosecuted sex abuse cases involving the Catholic Church for 25 years, and today, released copies of letters to journalists between then Cardinal Ratzinger and Archbishop Weakland about Father Murphy's sexual assault accusations.
"Because they (Catholic Church) didn't want more publicity and feared more publicity they gave Murphy, an admitted predator and pedophile a free pass and said stop the proceedings, abate the process, avoid publicity, maintain the secrets and continue this priest in ministry in good standing until he dies," Attorney for five of the abused Jeff Anderson said Thursday.
After protests in Rome on this very case, the Vatican strongly defended its position not to defrock Father Murphy.
The Vatican said today in its newspaper there was and is no cover up and said these allegations are clear and despicable intentions to strike at Pope Benedict.
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