Bridgeport Diocese Appeals Supreme Court Decision

The Roman Catholic Diocese of Bridgeport has filed a Motion with the Connecticut Supreme Court for reconsideration, by the entire Court, of the decision in the case Rosado verses Bridgeport Roman Catholic Diocese.

The Diocese has asked that the case be considered by the entire Court rather than the divided, five-member panel that issued the May 22nd decision to open court-sealed documents to the media involving alleged abuse cases.

The Diocese maintains that the current decision to open the documents fails to consider the
serious conflict of interest of the trial judge, fails to uphold the legitimate privacy and constitutional rights of all parties to lawsuits, and fails to recognize that disclosure of the sealed documents in question is barred by the Religion Clauses of the First Amendment.

Last month a five-member panel ruled by a 4-1 margin that the court documents involving 23 lawsuits against seven priests from the Diocese of Bridgeport should not be sealed. The documents were scheduled to become public in a matter of weeks but now will remain sealed until the court rules on the churches new motion.

Click here for the full story according to the Diocese of Bridgeport.

George Tiller's Abortion Clinic Closes

George Tiller's abortion clinic has closed. The clinic, Women's Health Care Services, Inc., was one of the few in the country to offer late-term abortions. Tiller, of Wichita, Kan., was shot and killed at his church on May 31. Scott Roeder, an anti-abortion activist, is in Sedwick County Jail, awaiting trial. Roeder declared "victory" over the clinic's closing. He has not admitted guilt.

The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops has come out against the killing, saying all human life is sacred and that a pro-life stance does not equate to violence.

Read the New York Times' story here.

Laser Monks

It is not what you would expect to find in the quiet of a Wisconsin monastery, but there monks are running a computer business. The New York Times introduces its readers to the Laser Monks of Wisconsin. These Cistercian monks support their monastery and life of prayer by selling ink and toner cartridges. The money they make from the business helps them live their lives as “professional pray-ers.” You can read all about these computer monks in today’s New York Times here.

Ct. Supreme Court Rules on Sex Abuse Files

In a four to one decision, the Connecticut Supreme Court has ruled that sealed documents from the Diocese of Bridgeport’s sexual abuse cases can be released to the public.

The New York Times and the Boston Globe have requested those documents be unsealed using the Freedom of Information Act.

The Diocese of Bridgeport has responded to the case here.

The Diocesian press release quotes the Supreme Court's dissenting opinion penned by Justice William Sullivan:“A person of ordinary intelligence and experience would have reason to question Judge Alander’s impartiality in the present case…”

The statement goes on to say, "Well after the legal time limit to challenge the initial sealing of documents, the secular press intervened, demanding access to the court files, including the sealed records. In a decision replete with anti-Catholic Church rhetoric, the trial judge actually invented an entirely new procedure to accommodate this after-the-fact request from the press."

Finally, the diocesian statement says, "Sadly, the history of this case has been about access by the secular media to internal Church documents of cases more than 30 years ago to suggest, unfairly, that nothing has changed. This is despite the extraordinary measures the Catholic Church has undertaken over the past several years to treat victims with great compassion and dignity, and to put in safeguards and educational programs to ensure that such a tragedy will not happen again."

The Court's majority opinion is here.
The Court's dissenting opinion is here.