She argues her aunt, a devout Catholic, was manipulated into donating tens of millions of dollars during her lifetime and leaving tens of millions more in her will.

However, Rhode Island Supreme Court justices on Tuesday raised questions about the conduct of a disgraced Roman Catholic order, but they also expressed doubts about whether lawsuits can move forward over the money a widow gave to the group. Continue reading

The lawsuit by Jose Raul Gonzalez Lara claims Legionaries of Christ failed to protect him from their founder and known pedophile Fr Marcial Maciel.

It also accuses Legionaries of Christ officials of covering up for decades known sexual abuse by Maciel and other Legionaries priests.

While dismissing some parts of the lawsuit, Hartford Superior Court Judge, Grant Miller allowed others, making it easier for Gonzalez to press for more evidence.

"It allows the floodgates to open up in terms of access to documents of the Legionaries of Christ and our ability to use international treaties to subpoena people within the Vatican, including very high-ranking officials," attorney for the plaintiff, Joel Faxon said.

A spokesman for the Legionaries of Christ said the Legionaries were pleased with the ruling but in light of the circumstances did not want to comment further.

In a twist emerging form the story, Gonzalez claims he is also Maciel's son.

Gonzalez's mother, Blanca Lara Gutierrez, has said Maciel led a double life, had two children with her, adopted another, then sexually abused two of the three, Associated Press reports.

Lara Gutierrez said she was 19 when she met the priest, then 56, who passed himself off as "Jose Rivas," an employee of an international oil company, a private investigator and a CIA agent. She said she didn't discover his real identity until 1997, through a magazine article.

Maciel enjoyed the favour at the Vatican under former Pope, now Blessed John Paul II, who admired the order's conservative profile, ability to fundraise and attract vocations at a difficult time in the Church's history.

A later Vatican investigation concluded Maciel had committed grave and "objectively immoral actions" that constituted true crimes in some cases, and showed a "life devoid of scruples and authentic religious meaning."

Sources

• Hartford Courant
• Associated Press
• Image: RMF 24