NEW YORK/VERMONT
Lez Get Real
Posted by: Bridgette P. LaVictoire on September 9, 2013.
The Catholic Church has yet to learn that the lesson coming from the clerical child sexual abuse scandal is that it is not the crime that gets you, it’s the cover up. Federal judge William K. Sessions III has ruled against the Catholic Church and refused to throw out a lawsuit brought by a Warren County man who was taken across state lines from New York to Vermont where he was raped by a priest.
The Albany Roman Catholic Diocese wanted the lawsuit dismissed arguing that it does not have any legal ties to the Burlington diocese. Jerome F. O’Neill, an attorney for the victim, was able to show that priests connected to the Albany Diocese routinely ministered at parishes in Vermont even though they were under the authority of Bishop Howard Hubbard of Albany, NY.
The Survivors’ Network for those Abused by Priests (SNAP) stated that “Albany Bishop Howard Hubbard should accept the court’s ruling, stop further delays, and let this brave victim seek justice. Hubbard’s splitting hairs over which court has jurisdiction rather than showing leadership and helping to resolve this case. We’re glad this judge didn’t buy Hubbard’s reasoning.”
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.