Vatican opposes interrogation of pope in sex abuse case

And what about the long history (that is easily documented) of popes engaging in every form of sexual abuse and corruption of children and youth (both girls as well as boys)?

This ugly abuse is not something just recently known. It has existed for centuries and centuries. The trouble is, that in the past---few had access to this information. Today that is not the case.

We keep on hearing and reading about the Vatican's secrecy in dealing with cases of sexual abuse---both from the victims as well as with priests accused.
It is time for transparency and accountability. The Pope should speak out or appoint someone who can completely illuminate the situation---to speak out in American courts.

If the Vatican is to be treated as an international entity not subject to the laws of another country (USA), then perhaps the lawsuit should be filed as an international crime, especially since the crimes have been committed in various countries by the representatives of the church (Vatican), and the United Nations should conduct the depositions. An international court then should determine the punishment for all those who were complicit in the crimes and their cover-up. Notice that the cover-ups were policy of the church.

You'd think that the "Vicar of Christ" would have nothing to hide, but they're going to fight this one out hammer and tongs.

I especially like the veiled threats about deposing the POTUS et al re: things like CIA renditions. You know - things like that shouldn't be going on either. So let's hear about the renditions AND the child molesting!!

Who cares what the vatican is opposed to?
Who cares about their "rights" (rights they created to cover up their criminal activities in the first place?)

I look around our country and see how the vatican/catholic church has gotton away with murder, sodomy,rape, theft, manipulation and exploitation of our legal justice system, human rights violations as severe as any other organization and yet they have commanded that they are untouchable.. unaccountable because they are the catholic church...

Hopefully this time their rampage over our children, our adults our country and our world is over.. its past time for them to be treated like the criminals they are and not the saints they pretend to be.

The sins started with men who were making very poor choices, doing awful things to the powerless - and perhaps related to a very sick mind. Those who used, or who were used, harmed, in many cases forever, are not the only ones to be considered. The most horrendous part truly lies with the system that somehow espoused a culture where that was to be hidden, for the sake of the Church. That must be dealt with, somehow. Bishops have been given, almost "golden parachutes" out of bad situations. Others allow situations to drag on till death. People become embittered over a situation that should never be and so they look for ways to address it. If it was handled in a different manner, that would never happen. How sad to have to hide under "laws" to not be open. Of course, then appearance would be very damaging.

May God, with all infinite wisdom and forgiveness, support those who have the true spiritual strength to bring real closure to this situation in ways that are honorable and just. Obviously, it has not happened yet.

Thank you, again.

The pope should stop acting like a head of state( which in this day and age is a laughable concept in regards to the papacy and vatican) and more like the Vicar of Christ that he says he is.

Try the Gospel for a change, Joe..... you might like it.

If the Vatican thinks that a deposition of the Pope is akin to a deposition of the President of the United States, this case needs to go forward. The Vatican is, as I recall, 1.7 miles? Bertone is the Prime Minister of the 1.7-mile Vatican? Ya'll gotta stop this silliness. Is the Vatican still claiming that Bishops are independent contractors? Does that mean Bishops have to stop defending lawsuits by saying they appealed to the Vatican to have predator priests in their diocese defrocked? Tsk, tsk, such mendacity. I guess the U.S. should probably take some cues from Belgium.

In other words, the Vatican is determined to continue the cover-up of those at the top who are culpable. That being the case, please cease issuing opinions on matters of morality since there is no longer any moral integrity in that quarter. The sacraments may still be valid, but moral judgments and declarations no longer are. Tragically, Rome has sold its soul for safety, and the whole world is watching in dismay.

The pope needs to face a court, Because as head of the church he by his actions is still torturing survivors, By refusing to give up all records about the abuse scandal, And deal with the scandal properly, For all his words hes made no effort to do that, The most puzzling aspect of all this is why non in power of the church have made it their buissnes to find out How a victim, survivor feels, You would have thought this is one of the first things they would have done, If they are truthful about wanting victims, survivors to heal

Well, goodness me: who would have thought? Absolute monarchs answer to no one, neither their constituencies nor outside pipsqueak secular agences who have the temerity to suggest that His Majesty might be less than exemplary.

Now let's all chime in: God Bless Pope Benedict XVI!

There can be an international tribunal such as the International Court of Justice in the Hague. The US of course refuse to recognize it. Pity. It would be nice to have the Vatican on trial. They essentially provided sanctuary to child-abusers all over the world.

There is a Catch 22 in this. The acts under investigation did not happen in the Vatican State, but in other countries. The oversight is coming from religious authority set up to operate in a multinational venue. Yet... the default position is for the Vatican to respond as a government, claiming sovereign immunity.

No wonder those lesser nobles became anointed kings through papal anointing to replace the authentic kings. It was done in trade for a papal state! Now what remains of it, that little 110 acre walled city, is attempting to use its sovereignty to squirm out of culpability for its acts. Talk about Chutzpah!

... And we buy this in the name of religion?

If the Federal Court forces the Pope to appear or give testomny, then it is only fair that George Bush and Dick Cheney should testify about outing of the CIA agent and explain why he really invaded Iraq. The Pope hates forget he is also a head of State just like Bush was.

If an American court allows such proceedings, Vatican lawyers state, “Foreign courts could feel emboldened to order depositions of the President or Vice President of the United States regarding, for example, such issues as CIA rendition.”

That would be an answer to prayer. After all, two rights don't make a wrong.

It's an interesting article to read about the legal maneuvering and I certainly hope the lawyers representing the victims are successful in their suit, but I'm not particularly optimistic. I believe the lawyers representing the Vatican will find their way out of this.

Are not the Bishops swearing allegiance to the Pope? The number of documents and abuse cases is frightening! The Pope has apologised, but can he deny knowledge and avoid providing the required transparency? Law and Nevada - why do they enjoy diplomatic immunity? Is this the reason why they were called to posts in Rome? There is now ample proof that this system of so-called tradition perpetuated since Constantin has to be abolished. Where is Jesus in all this and the Holy Spirit?

"Methinks ye protest too much!" If they have nothing to hide, and they are innocent (I almost choke on the word), why then are they fighting tooth and nail to protect themselves....how much is their defense for their legal challenges and public relations firms costing us?

Anonymous:
What gives you the right to make such public claims, allegations, dreadful history and at the same time hide under the SECRECY of Anonymous ? Don't you see the discrepancy here?

Don't you understand that an Anonymous identity invalidates your claims. . .really? Who will take this seriously? All you do is emit a foul stench which some breath of fresh air could hopefully dispel.

I pray you find some peace in your life.

So deposing the pope "could have dangerous foreign policy implications," according to the Vatican.

I've got a simple and effective solution to this problem:

Abolish diplomatic relations with this Vatican city-state.

Long past due.

The other day I commented on an article in relation to the ongoing negotiations between Israel and the Vatican for judicial, fiscal and economic policies for the church in the Holy Land.
At the moment the church receives no concessions.
My comment was, while the Vatican is fighting culpability and accountability on sex-abuse cases within the courts, claiming diplomatic immunity, I certainly wouldn't be signatory to any legal document with their name it.
In other words; to these men of goodwill, don't trust them.

Imagine if the CEO of BP told Congress "I don't have to respond to a summons to testify about the gulf oil spill before an American court."

The fact that Benedict happens to be a head of a pseudo-state (a courtesy extended to him by the International Community as much out of respect for tradition as anything) should not preclude his being called on the carpet as the head of a multi-national corporation.

But very well; if he won't come to Kentucky, then he should be compelled to come to The Hague.

The Pope is the spiritual leader of the Catholic Church. He is doing his best to get rid of the filth in the Church. I don't know of any other church that has publicly said the same. We all know that abuse is not confined to the RCC. Half the parents in Ireland alone should be jailed from what we read in the papers. All the other churches have more than the same problems but we don't hear about them. Of course justice should be done, but do get a balance here, and stop bashing Catholicism as the cause of a widespread disease in society. If only the complainers would complain about abortion, pornography, and the root of child abuse in society we might get rid of the filth in everyday life, the filth in families, the filth in the media. Making sweeping statements about the Vatican just causes fatigue and will not change one thing.

Long live the Pope!

I think it is difficult to have it both ways. If you say that the Archbishops are acting as a kind of "franchisee" when discussing legal matters, then how can the Vatican get upset about digging up their corpses for an investigation, although I think it is a rather idiotic idea. This is the problem of a "temporal entity coexisting with a spiriitual entity," and, theologically, I see no justification of it. Historically, the Church owned territories and the Pope became "prisoner of the Vatican" in protest for the loss of them in the unification of Italy. Are there any other churches, Orthodox, etc. that have a diplomatic status? I am curious. Thanks

So many people are looking at this from such a biased manner. It isn't as though they're critically assessing the claims of both the plaintiff's and defendant's and drawing their conclusion on the basis of that assessment but rather uncritically accepting everything the plaintiffs are claiming and damning the defendants for attempting to avoid 'accountability.' I've gone through all the claims being made by those suing the church, especially the one involving Crimen sollicitationis, and concluded that they are incredibly weak arguments. Even more important, the plaintiff's don't have to establish the truth of their claims about the nature of their evidence prior to deposing the Pope and Co. So from the perspective of those of us outside America, we see a foreign court attempting to assert jurisdiction over the rest of the world on the basis of claims that have yet to have been proven in any court. Another point is that the rest of the world doesn't view the American judiciary as the beacons of justice that many Americans clearly do. If you want to stop your government or even your citizens being hauled before foreign courts, including those of non-democracies such as China, on the basis of allegations yet to be established, you better not attempt to haul others before your own courts on the same basis.

The reactions of many respondents to this article look to me like a lynch mob, and we all know the kind of 'justice' they want.

The event of sexual abuses by a very minority number of priests are very sad and unfortunate indeed. However, there seems to be double standard by the liberal media and those who hate the Catholic Church for some weird, insane reasons. First and foremost the church has done far more good than harm to this world in the past to present, saving tax payers billions of dollars through charity, education, hospital institutions which run by nuns, priests and lay people.

Reports in the medis have shown journalists have abandon all standards to attack the Pope and the Church, and these attacks through the media are longer intended to inform, but simply to castigate.

Pope Benedict is a very intelligent, couragerous and holy man, he is not affraid of anything being done to him whether it is his reputation, or being arrest or depose whatever it is, he is not affraid to face them. The pope has on a number of occasions on behalf of the Church admitted fault and asked for forgiveness 'No words of mine could describe the pain and harm inflicted by such abuse,' the Pope said in his homily. 'It is important that those who have suffered be given loving pastoral attention.'" and on another occassion he said "You have suffered grievously, and I am truly sorry ... Your trust has been betrayed and your dignity has been violated." Furthermore, the church has spent so much, in monetary terms paying these victims. Although no amount of money would be enough for plaintiff's attorneys and their victims, when is enough enough? Do you guys genuinely think our society is better off without the Catholic Church? seriously, come on, use your brain just a little bit harder.

Ultimnately, in another 80 years or so or for some of us a lot sooner than that, all of us now present on this earth or in a split of a second we will face the Almighty God and we will know the truth. I can't wait to find out, but in the mean time let "He that is without sin, let him cast the next stone."