Anyone get this creeping feeling...

[Coito ergo sum]

That any attempts to prosecute the Pope for crime against humanity will fail completely?

Well, of course it will fail completely. And, no attempt will actually be made. At best he would be prosecuted for obstruction of justice or concealing a felony (depending on the jurisdiction). Even if he personally raped a young alter boy wouldn't mean he'd be prosecuted for a "crime against humanity."

I believe there's legal justification for his arrest and trial,

For "crimes against humanity?" Or, for aiding and abetting, conspiracy, obstruction of justice and stuff like that?

[Pappa]

That any attempts to prosecute the Pope for crime against humanity will fail completely?

Well, of course it will fail completely. And, no attempt will actually be made. At best he would be prosecuted for obstruction of justice or concealing a felony (depending on the jurisdiction). Even if he personally raped a young alter boy wouldn't mean he'd be prosecuted for a "crime against humanity."

I believe there's legal justification for his arrest and trial,

For "crimes against humanity?" Or, for aiding and abetting, conspiracy, obstruction of justice and stuff like that?

I think there is a case for crimes against humanity, considering the scale of it all and comparing it to other similar crimes. But it will never happen.

[Coito ergo sum]

That any attempts to prosecute the Pope for crime against humanity will fail completely?

Well, of course it will fail completely. And, no attempt will actually be made. At best he would be prosecuted for obstruction of justice or concealing a felony (depending on the jurisdiction). Even if he personally raped a young alter boy wouldn't mean he'd be prosecuted for a "crime against humanity."

I believe there's legal justification for his arrest and trial,

For "crimes against humanity?" Or, for aiding and abetting, conspiracy, obstruction of justice and stuff like that?

I think there is a case for crimes against humanity, considering the scale of it all and comparing it to other similar crimes. But it will never happen.

I think it would have to be an official policy - like Hitler's final solution, or Stalin's purges, Mao's cultural revolution, Pol Pot's killing fields, Japanese Rape of Nanking and Korea, etc.

A crime against humanity has to be a widespread/systematic "directed attack" against a civilian population where the government has knowledge of the attack. It has to be tolerated or condoned - government sanctioned, directed policy attacking civilian populace.

[Pappa]

I think it would have to be an official policy - like Hitler's final solution, or Stalin's purges, Mao's cultural revolution, Pol Pot's killing fields, Japanese Rape of Nanking and Korea, etc.

A crime against humanity has to be a widespread/systematic "directed attack" against a civilian population where the government has knowledge of the attack. It has to be tolerated or condoned - government sanctioned, directed policy attacking civilian populace.

In the Pope's case, he covered up the rapes for years and tacitly allowed them to continue. He also did nothing about discouraging paedophiles from becoming priests. The church attracts them, but unlike other organisations that put adults into contact with children they don't appear to have systems in place to weed out potential problems.

It appears they've done all this "nothing" so as not to draw attention to their problems.

I do think the Pope has shown active involvement in the issue though, his actions allowed rapes to occur and keep occurring... and he knew it to be the case.