Immunity in suit sought for pope

[emad]

May 27, 2005, 11:35PM


Copyright 2005 Houston Chronicle

The Vatican has sought the intervention of the U.S. State Department to declare Pope Benedict XVI immune from a sexual abuse lawsuit filed here, according to court documents.

A church official contacted the State Department May 20, asking it to notify a Houston federal court of the pope's immunity as the head of a foreign state, according to the defense motion. Vatican attorneys requested a delay on the matter Thursday.

A spokesman for the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston, which also was named as a defendant in the suit, could not be reached for comment Friday.

The lawsuit filed by plaintiffs identified as John Does I, II and III accuses the pope, then acting as a cardinal, of conspiring to cover up the alleged abuse about a decade ago. The suit names a former seminary student as the alleged abuser.

http://www.chron.com/cs/CDA/ssistory.mpl/metropolitan/3201751

[Wabbajack]

1. Can a foreign national be sued in US courts?

if so the Pope shouldn't be above the law.

[Bandit]

16. It is called Diplomatic Immunity

:shrug:

[bobthedrummer]

2. This is huge, when he was Cardinal Ratzinger working in The Vatican

the current Pope alledgedly conspired (with whom?) to cover-up sexual abuse in Houston. Now the Pope wants a free pass-immunity.
:eyes:

[emad]

3. Just like Marcinkus who got immunity from Poppy for the Banco

Ambrosiano collapse and the death of God's Banker Roberto Calvi because Calvi allegedly was a suicide ("SO depressed")...

Now the first four conspiators have been indicted for Calvi's murder but Marcinkus is still living rent free in Arizona.

And another thing. The UN Security Council has repeatedly refused to recognise the Vatican as an Independent Sovereign State on grounds that there was too much corruption in this non-democratic, unaccountable litle entity to warrant any official empowerment.

THAT'S why they only get extremely limited observer status at the UN and no full accreditation.

MAYBE that's why Shrub wants his ass-man Bolton in there....

[Kagemusha]

5. Won't matter.

The US recognizes the Vatican and that'll be the end of the story.

[emad]

6. Not exactly. It goes by the UNSC ruling but maintains 'cordial'

diplomatic relations like most other countries.

[bobthedrummer]

8. Indeed they are crying over Bolton now.

They can keep on crying over Bolton too.
He's toast now.

[enough]

4. He had his "accountablity moment"

when he got elected Pope.

[undeterred]

7. I demand a recount!

God only knows what went on in there.

[LuPeRcALiO]

9. LOL

that's the idea!

[Ian David]

10. The Vatican should be declared a rogue nation sponsoring terrorism

They use threats and intimidaton to disrupt the American political process and interfere in elections.

That might result in Catholics being declared "Enemy Combatants," but it would sure bring a quick end to the unconstitutional Patriot Act.

[emad]

11. This has already been done at least four times at the UN Security

Council. Even Italy acknowledges that the treaty that gave the Roman Catholic Church a leasehold over the bit of land that constitutes The Vatican is not a legally binding agreement and is subject to national and international law.

[Ian David]

13. Can we pressure Italy to revoke the lease?

I'd love an opportunity to browse The Vatican's garage sale when they need to buy a new city.

[emad]

14. I think the KGB took an option way back in '57 after Suez.....

Don't think Vladimir Putain will let this one out of his sweaty little paws...

[noamnety]

12. They certainly aren't a democratic country

Perhaps our freedoms could go on the march over there to help spread democracy?

[gratuitous]

15. Immunity from a civil suit?

Sorry, the Supreme Court voted 9-0 that defending a civil suit isn't that big a deal, and even a sitting President was not to be afforded the courtesy of waiting for his term of office to expire to answer a complaint in a court of law.

If it wasn't fair for Paula Jones to have to wait, it's not fair to these complainants to have to wait, especially since Joey the Rat doesn't really have an expiration date on his term of office. See you in court!

[AlCzervik]

17. File this under "Headlines i never thought i'd see"