Holy See Has Immunity From New Yorkers’ Sexual Abuse Lawsuit

The Holy See is immune from a lawsuit alleging that its secrecy policy prevented New York-based bishops from issuing warnings about clerics’ alleged sexual abuse that occurred between the 1960s and 1990s.

The Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act prevented a federal district court from exercising jurisdiction over the Holy See, which operates from Vatican City State, a sovereign independent territory, Judge Susan L. Carney of the US Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit said Thursday.

The FSIA generally grants foreign countries immunity from suits. The law’s tortious activity exception allows courts to hear claims against foreign countries for personal injury ...