The Trumpet
In 2002, scandal erupted surrounding Roman Catholic priests’ sexual assaults on children—or, as Pope John Paul ii put it, the way church leaders “are perceived to have acted.” The victims and the world in general demanded answers, wondering how a religious organization could allow such a disgusting problem to become so widespread.
The Vatican’s response was dismissive at best—notably, that of then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger.
With 2005 drawing to a close, Pope Benedict xvi found himself the target of a civil lawsuit. He was personally accused of conspiring with the archdiocese of Galveston-Houston to cover up the abuse of three boys in the mid-1990s. His legal defense? Diplomatic immunity.
Opposing lawyers argued that a May 18, 2001, letter from Cardinal Ratzinger written as prefect of the Congregation for the Doctine of the Faith was evidence that he was involved in a conspiracy: He said grave crimes would be handled by his congregation and were subject to “pontifical secret” (Fox News, December 23).
Ultimately, though, diplomatic immunity won out. No other religious leader on Earth could have used this particular defense. Papal lawyer Jeffrey Lena said “[Judge] Rosenthal’s ruling recognized that ‘the pope is entitled to immunity like any foreign sovereign without any special limitations imposed upon his immunity just because he is a religious leader’" (ibid.).