Catholic League President Says Church-Suing Lawyers Deserve Monitoring

Peter's Voice ^ | May 10,2002 | William Donahue

[Lady In Blue]

<p>

	John Mallon
	Dr. Ken Craven
	William Saunders
	Vinnie Cacace
	Discussion Forum
	Daily Reading
	From the Pulpit
	Saint of the Day
	The Cardinals
	Church Documents
	Book Review Archive
	Get the best Catholic material
	Bishop Gassis Sudan Relief Fund
	Crisis Magazine
	Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights
	Friends of Bishop Sheen
	Brent Society
	ACI Prensa

Catholic League president says Church-suing lawyers deserve monitoring

NEW YORK, May 10, 2002 (ACI).- The president of the Catholic League, William Donohue, said yesterday that after the public appearance of a well-known Church-suing attorney in the company of a radically anti-Catholic organization, lawyers must also be subject to monitoring.

Donahue explained that just as "no attorney who is prosecuting cases of sexual abuse by Catholic priests should immediately be declared suspect, none should escape examination himself."

In fact, although the Catholic League believes that most of the attorneys involved in these cases have acted professionally and harbor no agenda, what happened on Thursday "gives us pause: sex abuse-victim attorney Jeffrey R. Anderson appeared at a press conference hosted by an anti- Catholic group."

"The most mainstream of all anti-Catholic organizations in the nation is Catholics for a Free Choice. Its president, Frances Kissling, has long been obsessed with attacking the Catholic Church in every way possible. Today she held a press conference in New York City demanding that the United Nations involve itself in the Church scandal," the Catholic League revealed.

The League said it is "disturbing when the most prolific litigant against the Church stands side-by-side with her. Anderson has handled more than 500 cases against the Church, more than any other attorney."

"This is not the only reason the Catholic League is wary of Anderson," the statement says, and explains that the controversial attorney "has a penchant for casting wide nets and for dabbling in conspiracy theories. For example, unlike other lawyers involved in these cases, Anderson has resorted to the widely discredited RICO law to sue the Vatican and Pope John Paul II, as well as several dioceses."

"Indeed, his fascination with the Vatican antedates the current scandal: in 1993 he publicly denounced the late Pope Paul VI for being legally responsible for the behavior of a sex-abusing priest, James Porter, simply because Porter admitted his conduct to the Pope," the League added.

"For these reasons, the Catholic League is suspect about the motives and behavior of Jeffrey R. Anderson," the statement concludes.

---

Copyright © 2001 Petersvoice. All rights reserved. href="mailto:servant@petersvoice.com"> color=#0066cc>Contact Us

[Lady In Blue]

FYI and Discussion.

[SMEDLEYBUTLER]

All shysters deserve extremely close monitoring. There aren't too many benevolent types with Juris Doctorates. Wonder if Jeffrey R. Anderson takes these cases pro bono? When his RICO suit gets dismissed on summary judgment, the court should award the Church fees and costs and order Anderson, not his insurance carrier, to pay them.

[Siobhan]

Every vulture will be trying to get their talons into the Church through such litigation. We all need to be watchful and vocal in denouncing sheer schemes to scam money, just as we need to be vocal in calling for a cleansing of the Church and justice for the vicitmized.

[EODGUY]

It will be interesting to see the reaction of those who have beaten their breasts about the treatment of Taliban prisoners and have demanded they receive special treatment.

My guess is that they will say nothing about their concern that true justice is meted out in cases against our Church, whether founded or unfounded.

I anticipate that false accusers will come out of the woodwork.

My fervent prayer is that our Church rid Herself of the abomination of homosexual clergy, especially those who have been infolved in abuse. I pray too that the judicial process be conducted in a fair and just and thorough manner.

I am confident of success in the former......I question the success of the latter, unless the process is closely monitored by objective jurists.

[sinkspur]

I anticipate that false accusers will come out of the woodwork.

Some will, no doubt. But smart bishops will release all the documents they have and turn them over to authorities, whether statutes of limitation have expired or not.

Potential jurors who have had to watch information be pried out of chanceries with a crowbar won't be so favorable to the recalcitrant bishop.

[Diago]

Catholics for a Free Choice Parody

[Siobhan]

That is hilarious!

[Coleus]

What's anybody's views on this repressed memory theroy--abuse victims forgetting the abuse until many years later? I think it's a farce. Is there any scientific proof of this?

[RobbyS]

Why is it that the NYT never askes who pays Frannie Kissling's bills? Her organization has so few members that it must have rich "angels." Could they include board members of the NYT?

[Lady In Blue]

I couldn't agree with you more! You call them "shyster",I call them "ambulance chasers." Same thing! hehehe!

[Lady In Blue]

I wouldn't be a bit surprised if the false accusers have already started coming out of the woodwork.My question and the questions of my friends is how in the world do you prove or disprove these accusations?! They aren't all true so how does the court prove all of these cases?

[Lady In Blue]

That's a good question! I've heard it said that "Catholics for a free choice" has so few members that you could fit them all in a telephone booth!

[EODGUY]

It is going to be very difficult to prove or disprove accusations, but a key is thorough disclosure by all involved and an even more thorough investigation by trained professionals, not the biased media.

I pray for those who really were victims and pray also that those who would falsely use this abomination at the hands of a few members of our clergy search their own consciences and biases and withdraw their false accusations themselves.

The time between alleged homosexual abuse and the disclosure of same now will make the investigation difficult, but not impossible, as long as the trials deal with facts rather than biased, sometimes scurilous "rumors" promulgated by "journalists".

[EODGUY]

I wish I could remember the source, darn it, but I seem to recall that Francis is supported by a huge corporation (possibly Ford) and that she constitutes nearly the entire membership of her disgusting group........but you would never know it based on media coverage.

If I can come up with the source, I'll re-contact you...I know I read it in an article recently.

[Siobhan]

My fervent prayer is that our Church rid Herself of the abomination of homosexual clergy, especially those who have been infolved in abuse.

Amen! Amen! Amen!

[EODGUY]

Many years of experience have taught me never to anticipate the actions of a jury, never.

[chatham]

This whole situation would be Moot if Cardinals Law,Egan, Madieros and Bishops Murphy, Banks, Daley, McCormack and others were stand up Catholics and reported these tragic cases of abuse as they became aware of them.

It isn't just a few cases, the numbers of the victims are in the thousands, and the number of Homosexual Priests could be as high as 50 % of the current priesthood.

The Bishops are dancing around this problem hoping it will go away.

If you need someone to jump on, Jump on the Hierarchy who allowed this tragedy to fester for 30 Years and still can't come to grips with it.They are still stonewalling the justice system and the longer they Obfuscate the longer the church will be held to ridecule.

[RobbyS]

It may be the Ford Foundation. The foundations are really into eugenics, or were when it was fashionable. Nowadays they pour money into the UN pushing their program for population-control.

[EODGUY]

Rob, I'm pretty sure it was the Ford Foundation, but I'll keep trying to find the article for reference.

Sounds like something Ted Turner would be interested in supporting, doesn't it?

EODGUY

[Siobhan]

According to an article my father has here on his desk, the Ford Foundation is the major contributor to Kissling's evil CFFC.