A ruling that the Catholic Church can be held liable for the wrongdoings of its priests has been upheld.
See http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-hampshire-18278529
Last year Mr Justice MacDuff decided in favour of a woman, now 47 and
known as JGE who reports that as a child she was beaten by a nun at a care home and
later raped and sexually assaulted by a priest of the
Portsmouth Diocese, Fr Wilfred Baldwin, who
has since died..
The Court of Appeal has upheld this decision, which raises
"an issue of wide general importance in respect of claims against the
Catholic Church".
Lawyers for the claimant said of the ruling in November 2011
that it was the first time a court had been asked to rule on whether the
"relationship between a Catholic priest and his bishop is akin to an
employment relationship".
After the latest hearing, the claimant's lawyer Tracey Emmott
said: 'It is hoped that this ruling will now be accepted, and that
victims of abuse by Catholic priests can be treated with the dignity and
respect they deserve."
The Court of Appeal judgement said the diocese could not
appeal against the decision until a similar case at the Supreme Court on
23 July had been concluded.
Speaking after the original ruling last year, the alleged
victim said: "I relive it in my nightmares. It doesn't go just because
I'm not in a court room - because I know that when I go to sleep it will
be there.
