The Pope in a perp walk?

[marmar]

via the Toronto Star:



Can the Pope be charged as a criminal?
Lawyers debate whether U.K. courts can arrest visiting pontiff on 'universal jurisdiction' warrant

Published On Mon Apr 5 2010

Paisley Dodds
Associated Press


LONDON–Protests are growing against Pope Benedict XVI's planned trip this fall to Britain, where the legal world is debating whether the Vatican's implicit statehood could shield the Pope from potential prosecution related to sex crimes by pedophile priests.

More than 10,000 people have signed an online petition to Prime Minister Gordon Brown opposing the Pope's four-day visit to England and Scotland in September.

The campaign has gained momentum as more Catholic sex- abuse scandals shake Europe.

Although Benedict has not been accused of any crime, senior British lawyers are now examining whether the Pope should have immunity as a head of state and whether he could be prosecuted under the principle of universal jurisdiction for an alleged systematic cover-up of sexual abuses by priests. .............(more)

The complete piece is at: http://www.thestar.com/news/world/vatican/abusescandal/article/790218--can-the-pope-be-charged-as-a-criminal?bn=1

[ananda]

1. Arrest the bastard.

nt

[ZeitgeistObserver]

Not going to happen.

[customerserviceguy]

10. Exactly

If there was a shadow of a chance of Pope Ratzo being even temporarily detained over such a thing, he'd simply figure out a reason why he couldn't go to the UK.

Nope, the Catholics are stuck with this bozo until he croaks. Good for them!

[RainDog]

2. I just read on Wiki that Mussolini was the one that declared the Vatican a separate state

and that this contention was contested at the time.

interesting.

I thought Vatican City had been considered a separate state for a longer time than that.

[Aristus]

5. Well, the Church has certainly been a law unto itself for centuries, but Vatican sovereignty

is a pretty new thing...

[ZeitgeistObserver]

7. He signed the treaty on behalf of the king.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vatican_City#History

[Sanity Claws]

3. He's a material witness, if nothing else

This should be interesting to follow.

[Motown_Johnny]

4. Hmmm.... diplomatic immunity??? Since the Vatican is a sovereign nation

[Posteritatis]

6. Pity this isn't even being discussed for every other HOS that needs it

I imagine Britain would haul out the "but this is different!" argument really damn quick if there was talk of arresting one of their prime ministers.

Or hell, even people like Robert Mugabe or Omar Bashir or Than Shwe, all of whom could also use some time on the wrong side of some prison bars.

[Robeson]

8. Useless speculation...

...no country on earth would touch this with a ten foot pole.

[ZeitgeistObserver]

9. I agree.

It would set off a religious riot, not to mention a possible religious war.

[marmar]

12. A religious war? The vatican has nukes?

Quite frankly, I don't think most of the world gives much of a crap.

[ZeitgeistObserver]

15. There are a billion catholics in the world,

who very much care, and no they won't countenance any supposed 'arrest' of the pope.

[marmar]

16. I think a lot of Catholics aren't particularly enamored of this Pope....and want to see justice.

If he's complicit, he's complicit.

[ZeitgeistObserver]

17. I don't think you understand.

How you see it, and how devout catholics see it are two entirely different things.

St Peter's square on Easter Sunday should have shown you that.

[marmar]

19. Wasn't watching it. There's enough propaganda on TV.

nt

[ZeitgeistObserver]

21. Neither was I. It's in the headlines.

[DaveinJapan]

22. Even if only one-third of Catholics lash out at any "attack" on their Pontiff

that's still more than the entire population of the United States rising up at once.

a religious war is CERTAINLY a possibility if any country tries to detain the Pope.

[metapunditedgy]

28. There are a billion Catholics, generously speaking. Many don't care if the Pope

is arrested for enabling child-molestation.

[Robeson]

20. How do you think Latin America would feel about the arreast of the Pope?...

...How about France, Italy, Spain? How much good will would Britain gain by arresting the Pope? Do you think Britain - or any other country - would like to see their foreign policy destroyed overnight? Really?

[Mojeoux]

27. The Holy Mother has Always been More Powerful than ANY POPE

The Holy Mother and Father Spirit inside all of humanity cries out, "Protect the Children!!"

[Posteritatis]

25. US Catholics != Catholics worldwide

I agree with you entirely that worries of an outbreak of war or something are so much silly hyperbole, even leaving aside the fact that a papal arrest just isn't going to happen.

The "we don't care so Catholics worldwide won't" thing, though, annoys me; it's a common thing on DU to take Catholicism as seen in the US, Canada, and maybe southwestern Europe, and extrapolate that to the rest of the world. I don't think that comparison makes sense at all.

Roman Catholics in Poland, or Brazil, or many African countries are going to have very different attitudes, and the Catholic population that falls under whatever's defined as "Western Civilization" this week is maybe a quarter of the total. A Catholic congregation in Montreal or Seattle or Bristol might be mostly indifferent, but that doesn't mean that congregations in much of the rest of the world necessarily share their views, or anything even close to them.

[Bombtrack]

11. I wouldn't mind that at all, I just hope the Swiss guard doesn't try to fight them off

If those guys with spears in the big orange pantaloons have to square off against some commandos with submachine guns I think it'll be pretty clear the end is near.

[ZeitgeistObserver]

18. Don't let costumes fool you.

Besides their traditional arms, the Swiss Guard also has contemporary non-ceremonial small arms, like SIG P225 pistols, Heckler & Koch MP5A3 submachine guns and SIG SG 550 assault rifles at its disposal for security duties.<7> Besides the Heckler & Koch MP5A3, these small arms are also in use by the Swiss military. The Guard also engages in yearly rifle competition and receives self-defense instruction, as well as basic instruction on defensive bodyguard tactics similar to those used in the protection of many heads of state.<8>

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Swiss_Guard#Equipment

[Posteritatis]

24. The result would probably be some dead would-be Popenappers

The Swiss Guard tends not to kid around, whatever you might think of the ceremonial uniforms. Most of the Pope's security are about the same in appearance and competence as close protection agents in the Secret Service, and are pretty visible when he's out in public.

[ZombieHorde]

13. Recommended. nt

[hlthe2b]

14. Red Prada slippers with an orange jumpsuit?

The horror, the horror! ;)






{Just a little attempt at humor.... I empathize with devout Catholics and even more, sympathize with victims. Please don't doubt that to be the case)

[malaise]

23. That's the end of the trip

You Betcha

[applegrove]

26. The Pope should come out and say they have 400,000 priests the world over and some of them

are pedophiles. Those pedophiles will be prosecuted to the fullest extend of the law from here on in.