US judge orders Vatican to show files in sexual abuse case

Portland (Oregon): Apr 22 2011,



A federal judge ruled that the Vatican must respond to certain requests for information from a man who says he was molested by a priest in the 1960s.





The man known in court documents as John V. Doe filed suit eight years ago. He seeks to hold the Vatican liable for the abuse he said he suffered from the Rev. Andrew Ronan, who died in 1992.





US District Judge Michael Mosman yesterday ruled that Doe is entitled to limited discovery related to whether the priest was an employee of the Vatican.





The Vatican has denied that it was Ronan\'s employer, citing the facts it found in files from other related Catholic organisations in the case.





Mosman ruled that Ronan may have been under the control of a US Catholic organisation, but said in the order that such a system doesn\'t preclude Ronan from also being an employee of the Vatican.







In his ruling, Mosman cited \"significant factual disputes\" as to whether the Holy See had the right to control and fire Ronan, and ruled that Doe is entitled to some limited discovery.







The Vatican will be required to answer written questions within 60 days related to its process of defrocking, its policies regarding sexual abuse and its regulation of priests\' conduct, among other requests made by Doe, but Mosman limited all of the discovery to files involving Ronan.







Mosman also granted Doe\'s request that the Vatican produce documents related to its practices and policies regarding sexual abuse and punishment, removal, relocation and treatment of priests, but again limited them to Ronan\'s specific case.


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