Lawyers for pope seek immunity in Texas sex abuse lawsuit naming Ratzinger

[sabra]

http://mdn.mainichi-msn.co.jp/international/news/20050817p2g00m0in003000c.html

Lawyers for pope seek immunity in Texas sex abuse lawsuit naming Ratzinger as defendant

VATICAN CITY -- Lawyers for Pope Benedict XVI have asked U.S. President George W. Bush to declare the pontiff immune from liability in a lawsuit that accuses him of conspiring to cover up the molestation of three boys by a seminarian in Texas, court records show.

The Vatican's embassy in Washington sent a diplomatic memo to the State Department on May 20 requesting the U.S. government grant the pope immunity because he is a head of state, according to a May 26 motion submitted by the pope's lawyers in U.S. District Court for the Southern Division of Texas in Houston.

Joseph Ratzinger is named as a defendant in the civil lawsuit. Now Benedict XVI, he's accused of conspiring with the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston to cover up the abuse during the mid-1990s. The suit is seeking unspecified monetary damages.

In Washington, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Gerry Keener, said Tuesday that the pope already is considered a head of state and automatically has diplomatic immunity. Keener said Benedict doesn't have to ask for immunity and Bush doesn't have to grant it.

[Demeter]

1. Absolutely NOT!

No diplomatic immunity for child abuse.

[saigon68]

23. Its about the Benjamins kids

Little Rat Face or Rat Fucker as some here call him, is only concerned that the $$$$$$$$$$$ the sheep donate, go to him and his ilk and not to the child victims of sexual abuse, by corps his of fatherly sodomites

[Sydnie]

2. This is a very sticky wicket for blivet**

The crimes weren't committed while he was the pope... this will send a very frightening message to either the victims of these crimes or wannabe diplomats everywhere. I am making some popcorn for this story. It's a sleeper for sure, but give it time and it will be news everywhere, I think.

[Kagemusha]

4. I'm sorry but, he's immune while in office, which will mean until death

Frightening message or not, you can't touch him. He's the Pope. As long as the Vatican is recognized as a state by the United States, he's untouchable while Pope.

Sorry, but that's the way it is, and that's the way it always was for ANY Pope since the founding of the Vatican.

[Chovexani]

11. That is some bullshit right there

And people wonder why I have little respect for organized religion.

[babydollhead]

14. did you say fondling of the Vatican?

[jsamuel]

15. So what about the international court then?

[Horse with no Name]

17. Makes ya wonder if THIS is why he was appointed to be Pope

Things that make you go hmmmm....

[jobycom]

19. Tell that to BonifaceVIII. nt.

[krkaufman]

7. Hmmm... wonder if this is why he was elected Pope. n/t

[Blaq Dem]

3. Of course, any friends of bush...

...can do anything they like. There are no RULES.

And watch. The corporate media won't even say a damn thing about it.

[Canuckistanian]

5. By that same token, wouldn't Saddam have immunity, too?

That would make his arrest by American troops illegal, wouldn't it?

And in Papa Ratzi's case, he is actually being indicted for an actual crime against Americans.

Either you believe in immunity or you don't. Where is the firm moral stand here?

[existentialist]

6. Well, we could

Invade the Vatican and depose him!

(Just joking)

[Canuckistanian]

9. I hear they have Weapons of 'Mass Deifications'

[moggie]

22. They certainly have missals n/t

[Nihil]

26. Oh very good!

:rofl:

[Canuckistanian]

27. And Canons...

[newscott]

8. Hey what's with all these frivolous lawsuits being filed in Texas!

:sarcasm:

[Canuckistanian]

10. Damn trial lawyers!

They're ruining this country!

[lovuian]

12. So let me get this straight!!! The pope could Kill someone

on the street and walk away without any legal implications!!!

Damn thats absolute BULLS***!!!!

[Zynx]

20. All Heads of State could. It's called Soverign Immunity

[Endangered Specie]

13. and I thought the whole Hitlerjugend thing was bad enough.

:crazy:

[burrowowl]

16. Would be very interesting to see what

Bu$hie replies and if he does!

Loverly! but unfortunately:
"In Washington, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Gerry Keener, said Tuesday that the pope already is considered a head of state and automatically has diplomatic immunity. Keener said Benedict doesn't have to ask for immunity and Bush doesn't have to grant it."

IMPEACH BU$HCO!
Try and prosecute, but them in prison for LIFE! No capital punishment, even though BU$CHCO deserves IT. TREASON!

[Tigress DEM]

18. Pope John Paul fought against Hitler, Benedict served him...

even if he was just a brainwashed child... I kept asking myself... come on? aren't there any nice Italian priests in Rome for God's sake that would be better as Pope than someone who served Hitler?

I mean just the post traumatic stress of having to run away from that kind of service and hope your whole family didn't get killed... it just doesn't seem to make a solid foundation for a spiritual leader.

Then again Moses wasn't anyone'e real choice if it were a political thing. I just have to wonder if God really put Benedict there or if Benedict put Benedict there with some promises to power mad people we all know and lock horns with daily.

[CoffeeCat]

21. THIS IS DESPICABLE!!

So....what this boils down to is that the POPE conspired to cover up the sexual abuse of children in the 1990's...and he has no remorse and no feeling for children who are raped and molested by grown adults.

If he is guilty, he should not be asking for immunity. He should be asking for forgiveness.

He's running from crimes that he committed--crimes that enabled pedophiles to rape children.

IS ANYTHING SACRED IN THIS WORLD ANYMORE???????????????

If you harm a child, you apologize and you ask for forgiveness. You don't ask our piece-of-shit, psychopath president to give you a free pass!

Where is the accountability and moral conscience of these people???

What on Earth is going on in this world? So, the Pope is an evil, sick bastard now, too???????

[dxstone]

24. He can do ANYTHING; he's God's right-hand mook!

He's ALREADY forgiven, for any sins of the past and any he might choose to commit now; he's the ultimate made man!
It's all part of the miracle of faith! Everything he does is a miracle! Praise Jeezus!



What a sad circus. What a bunch of scary clowns.
What a twisted perversion of Christ's original teachings.
D X Stone
(born and raised Catholic, but feeling MUCH better now since I gave it all up for Lent!)

"If Christ could come down here and see what is being done in his name, he would NEVER stop throwing up."
--Max von Sydow in Hannah and Her Sisters

[theearthisround]

25. As Jesus would have!

[Don1]

28. Ratzinger will get what he wants.

After all, he helped deprive Kerry of votes by ordering bishops in the US not to give him communion in 2004. Then, of course, this Pope is buddy-buddy with Bush's brother because they both served on the board of a bible company in Switzerland. And they both secretly admire Hitler.

Two things I find interesting from a legal perspective:
(1) This is immunity in a civil case and not a criminal case;
(2) The wrongdoing existed before the cardinal was made Pope. If one allows this immunity, then wouldn't it mean that anyone becoming a head of state (illegally) would suddenly become immune to anything they did prior to office. Clinton and Flowers seems a counter-example.

[emad]

29. Pressure mounting on Vatican as the murder trial of 'God's Banker'

draws ever nearer.

Bush willing to do ANY deal that gains him more alibis for his own culpability in Roberto Calvi's assassination in June 1982.

Ratzinger may be his man in this latest shameful cosy arangement.

[wicket]

30. Too bad the children didn't get "immunity" from abuse

:grr: :grr: :grr:

[Bassic]

31. This new pope is evil incarnate

He's even got that arch-vilain look on his face when he's smiling

[saigon68]

32. kick