Refusal States Legal Service of Lawsuit Naming the Holy See, Pope Benedict XVI, and Cardinals Bertone and Sodano as Defendants Were “undesired and unwanted”*
In a slap to US justice system, they send it back.
Attorney calls audacious move “troubling”—says it shows the Catholic hierarchy still considers itself “above the law.”
This press conference addresses a lawsuit filed by a survivor against the Vatican, Pope Benedict XVI, and senior Vatican officials, and focuses on the Vatican’s refusal to accept legal service of the lawsuit. According to the speakers, Vatican officials returned the legal documents and described the lawsuit as “undesired and unwanted,” which attorneys argued was an attempt to avoid accountability and delay the legal process. The press conference was held to respond to that refusal and to call on Vatican officials to accept the lawsuit and respond in court.
Speakers emphasized that the lawsuit was intended to seek accountability, transparency, and disclosure of information related to abuse and alleged cover-ups, and that refusing legal service prevents survivors from having their day in court. The press conference also called on church leadership, including Archbishop Dolan, to push for greater transparency and cooperation with legal proceedings. The overall message focused on accountability, truth, survivor support, and protecting children by ensuring institutions respond to abuse allegations openly and lawfully.