EU rights court rejects sex abuse case against Vatican, citing ‘immunity’ to ‘accountability'

The Vatican cannot be held liable for sexual abuse committed by Catholic priests or other clergy members.

Two dozen people in Belgium who said they were victims of abusive priests brought a case before the European Court of Human Rights.

According to ABC, the court referenced the Vatican's sovereign immunity which protects the Holy See from accountability.

The 24 victims argued the Holy See should be liable for decades of covered up cases involving priests who raped and molested children.

Belgian courts ruled the plaintiffs had no jurisdiction because of the Vatican's immunity as a sovereign state.

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