Fr Lawrence Murphy died in 1998 with no official blemish on his recordThe Vatican says a lawsuit brought against Pope Benedict and two Church officials by a US man who says he was abused by a priest is "without merit".
Vatican lawyer Jeffrey Lena said the lawsuit, filed in a Milwaukee court, "rehashes old theories already rejected by US courts".
*snip*
Fr Murphy has been accused of abusing up to 200 children during his 20 years at a school for deaf children in Milwaukee.
The US lawsuit alleges that the Pope - in his former role as Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger - and two senior Vatican officials failed to act when the US Church reported the alleged abuse by Fr Murphy in the 1990s.
The other officials named are Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone and former secretary of state Cardinal Angelo Sodano.
more at link:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/8640458.stm