Belgium court throws out child sex claim against Holy See

BELGIUM
Straits Times

GHENT (AFP) – A Belgian court on Tuesday rejected a rare attempt at a child sex class-action suit against the Holy See filed in 2011 by 39 alleged victims of priests and church workers.

The court in Ghent said the Holy See, which represents the Pope and the Vatican government, “is considered to be a state protected by international law that cannot be judged by a foreign court”.

Vatican lawyers had pleaded that line before the court, arguing the Holy See’s immunity could not be questioned.

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