'NYT': Vatican Knew Wis. Priest Might Have Molested 200 Deaf Boys

The New York Times reports this morning that:

"Top Vatican officials -- including the future Pope Benedict XVI -- did not defrock a priest who molested as many as 200 deaf boys, even though several American bishops repeatedly warned them that failure to act on the matter could embarrass the church, according to church files newly unearthed as part of a lawsuit."

The Times says it got the documents, "which the church fought to keep secret, from Jeff Anderson and Mike Finnegan, the lawyers for five men who have brought four lawsuits against the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. The documents include letters between bishops and the Vatican, victims' affidavits, the handwritten notes of an expert on sexual disorders" who interviewed the priest.

The Associated Press says Anderson, the attorney, said he would e-mail the documents to the wire service today.

And, the AP writes:

"The Rev. Federico Lombardi, a spokesman for the Vatican, said in a statement that the Vatican was not told about the abuse allegations against Murphy until 1996, years after civil authorities had investigated and dropped the case. Lombardi also said that (Father Lawrence) Murphy's age, poor health and a lack of more recent allegations were factors in the decision not to defrock him."

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel has for years been covering the story of the alleged abuses carried out by Murphy, who died in 1998. It's 2006 special report is online in two parts:

-- "Shared Secrets Reveal Much Suffering In Silence".

-- "Staring Abuse Straight In The Face."

Murphy worked at the St. John's School for the Deaf in St. Francis, Wis., from 1950 to 1975.