UNITED KINGDOM
The Portsmouth News
A RULING that the Catholic Church can be held liable for the wrongdoings of its priests was upheld by the Court of Appeal following a case involving Portsmouth Diocese.
The decision was announced in an action which has been described as raising ‘an issue of wide general importance in respect of claims against the Catholic Church’. …
In a statement issued after the ruling, the trustees of Portsmouth Diocese said the appeal was brought to achieve clarity ‘as to the nature and extent of the bishop’s liability for the actions of diocesan priests’.
It added: ‘We had not just the right but the duty to ask the Court of Appeal to hear the different arguments in this case, not least because of the far-reaching implications to faith and other voluntary organisations of extending vicarious liability in this way.’
The statement by the trustees stressed: ‘This case is not, and has never been, about seeking to avoid or delay the payment of compensation to victims with valid claims.
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