Pope has immunity in sex abuse trials because he is a "head of state".

Run_to_da_hills

It couldn't get any worse.

Pope Benedict, accused by victims' lawyers of being ultimately responsible for a cover-up of sexual abuse of children by priests, cannot be called to testify at any trial because he has immunity as a head of state, a top Vatican legal official said on Thursday.

Surely there is some independant international body that could move in on the Vatican if they suspected that the institute was covering up child sex alligations from the top.

The Vatican should be treated just like any corrupt state, the Yanks are quick enough to draw up international support for sanctions against Iran and other so called "corrupt" countries. If the head of the Vatican state refuses to play its cards right sanctions should be imposed on the Catholic Church.

What if the Vatican was raided by an international body?

Would it be considered an act of war seen as it is a seperate state?

Is it that countries are scared to get involved?

The cat is now out of the bag and justice should be done.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/36131434/ns/world_news-europe/

Vinta81

Twat.

SV

ah for FÚCKS sake..

ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH



couldn't possibly put my feelings into words here

bronte

This is beyond a joke.

Sir Digby Chicken Caesar

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

It couldn't get any worse.


Surely there is some independant international body that could move in on the Vatican if they suspected that the institute was covering up child sex alligations from the top.

the NWO?

Joey the lips

and.....so what.

mike65

are you advocating the protection of those who protect/facilitate child abusers?

Mrmoe

My opinion of him is pretty low as it stands so this won't make much difference. I feel sorry for the people that were deeply effected by the church that he leads. It is yet another slap in the face to them.

We don't even arrest a lowly priest, did ya really think the pope could be got?

sam34

sadly, it doesnt surprise me

Jason McCabe

so the pope is indeed the anti christ

Agricola

Doesnt surprise me in the slightest. As we've seen here in Ireland, the more powerful you are the harder it is to bring the full riguers of the law.
The Vatican will do whatever it takes to protect the office of the pope. And they'll probably succeed.

cantankerous

Run_to_da_hills wrote: »

It couldn't get any worse.

Pope Benedict, accused by victims' lawyers of being ultimately responsible for a cover-up of sexual abuse of children by priests, cannot be called to testify at any trial because he has immunity as a head of state, a top Vatican legal official said on Thursday.

What a load of papal bull.

biko

John Paul was a cooler pope but he must have been privy to this too.

Biggins

Boiled down to brass tacks:

* They won't call him to task because they fear offending a good deal of their own people.
* They conveniently have called other heads of state to task but mostly when they were out of power by one way or another.
* This has been known for some time that this was the position of the pope and his applied for and awarded immunity.

For the record for example: Vatican City was officially recognized by the U.S. in 1984 and the U.S. has an ambassador to the Vatican.

Its not just to the pope that it applies too!
See: http://archives.tcm.ie/businesspost/2004/03/28/story384151993.asp

bonerm

You couldn't arrest him anyway even if you wanted to. Look what happened the last time someone tried!

Best to just leave the paedo protector be.

Carry

Clever lawyers should concentrate on the definition of systematic rape and abuse of children including the cover up as crime against humanity. In this case the immunity even of a head of state is void.

The Vatican state fights with it's back to the wall and comes up with ever new twists. Let's hope that the usually savvy and ruthless US-lawyers find a way to get the pope.
Doubt it, though.

On the other hand there might be a case if a head of state committed crimes before he was head of state as is the case with Ratzinger. But these are legal intricacies I'm not very familiar with.

Crann na Beatha

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