PopeWatch: Kagan Sides With Vatican on Abuse Lawsuit

[The Straight Story]

PopeWatch: Kagan Sides With Vatican on Abuse Lawsuit

Some good news for Pope Benedict: the Obama administration, in a brief filed by Solicitor General and Supreme Court nominee Elena Kagan, has sided with the Vatican in the 2002 Oregon lawsuit pending SCOTUS review over sex abuse claims, saying that the Holy See has diplomatic immunity. (This doesn't address the other point of contention with these Vatican lawsuits: can American clergy be considered Vatican employees or not?)

The brief was filed Friday, and suggests that the Supreme Court send the case back for further consideration. Check out John L. Allen Jr.'s story in National Catholic Reporter for more details. No word yet on any response from victims advocate Jeff Anderson or Vatican's U.S. attorney Jeffrey Lena, but Allen writes that Lena may now try to get the Supreme Court to dismiss the case entirely.

Read more: http://blog.beliefnet.com/beliefbeat/2010/05/kagan-sides-with-vatican-in-clergy-sex-abuse-claim.html#ixzz0oyTpIl2O

[Peregrine Took]

1. That's my Kagan! n/t

[zipplewrath]

2. No kagan fan

But I thought this part was obvious. The pope, and many of their people are covered by diplomatic immunity. As the article says, that doesn't address any of the US based people. And you can STILL sue the government of the Vatican for damages.

[The Straight Story]

3. As always a 2 sided coin (in AD&D a 20 sided die....but I digress)

The politics of decisions and how they play versus the practicality of things which are (laws that must be followed, etc).

I *think* what most people might like to hear, politically speaking, is "We condemn such and such in general but must follow the law and we are doing so".

Following what must be is one thing, doing so without comment is another as it leads people to wonder and fill in the blanks.

[pnwmom]

4. Kagan is an employee of Obama, which she won't be as a SCOTUS. That said,

the brief is hardly surprising. Of course he has diplomatic immunity.

[glitch]

5. Shouldn't we expel ambassadors who commit crimes under the cover of diplomatic immunity? nt