USCCB and the Holy See facing lawsuits

From Staff and Catholic News Service Reports

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and the Holy See were named as defendants in a class action lawsuit filed in a Washington, D.C., federal district court regarding the sexual abuse of minors by clergy. The USCCB has also been named in a second suit filed in federal district court in Minnesota on behalf of six sexual abuse survivors.

Both lawsuits were filed on the same day – November 13, 2018 – while the U.S. bishops were meeting in Baltimore for the fall general assembly and discussing the sexual abuse crisis in the Church.

The class action, D.C. suit accuses the Church of conspiracy and sites federal racketeering statutes.

The class action suit makes several demands including the release of all known clergy with “plausible allegations of sexual misconduct.” The Minnesota suit makes a similar demand. The class action suit also seeks financial damages.

Joseph McClean, one of the plaintiffs in the Minnesota suit, told a news conference in Baltimore he chose to join the that lawsuit because he wants the bishops to “come clean.”

The USCCB had not released a response as of press time, but typically wouldn’t comment on a lawsuit.