Vatican: Pope has immunity in sex abuse trials

[Ladywriter 7,783]

Legal official: Benedict does not have to testify because he is head of state

VATICAN CITY - 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.

Lawyers representing victims of sexual abuse by priests in several cases in the United States have said they would want the pope to testify in an attempt to try to prove the Vatican was negligent.But the pope is protected by diplomatic immunity because more than 170 countries, including the United States, have diplomatic relations with the Vatican. They recognize it as a sovereign state and the pope as its sovereign head.

The Vatican has denied any cover-up over the abuse of 200 deaf boys in the United States by Reverend Lawrence Murphy from 1950 to 1974. The New York Times reported the Vatican and Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict, were warned about Murphy but he was not defrocked.

Can we be done with religion now?

[Myk JL 1,731]

Nothing would please me more if religious folk got there heads out of their asses.

[Torreyjs 64]

Well everyone knows since hes head of state you cant just arrest him. The catholic cult annoys me but its whatever. Though its annoying the world is powerless against them and that they are allowed to simply forgive themselves for anything they do wrong and move on like nothing happened.

[Ladywriter 7,783]

That is precisely why we need to put these fairy tale peddling bastards out of business