VATICAN CITY – The Vatican is taking the unusual step of publishing internal files about a priest who was removed from the priesthood in the 1960s after allegedly molesting minors in Ireland and the United States.
The files published Wednesday are part of documentation the Holy See plans to turn over to U.S. lawyers representing a man who says he was abused by the late Rev. Andrew Ronan. The man, who has not been identified, is seeking to hold the Vatican liable for the abuse.
Vatican attorney Jeffrey Lena said the Vatican's own files show that the Holy See didn't know about the accusations against Ronan until 1966, after the abuse occurred, when Ronan asked to be laicized.
The documents were released amid unprecedented criticism of the Vatican's handling of abuse cases in Ireland.
