Richard Dawkins: "I will arrest Pope Benedict XVI"

[Faithfree]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/commen ... 094310.ece

Richard Dawkins: I will arrest Pope Benedict XVI

RICHARD DAWKINS, the atheist campaigner, is planning a legal ambush to have the Pope arrested during his state visit to Britain “for crimes against humanity”.

Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens, the atheist author, have asked human rights lawyers to produce a case for charging Pope Benedict XVI over his alleged cover-up of sexual abuse in the Catholic church.

The pair believe they can exploit the same legal principle used to arrest Augusto Pinochet, the late Chilean dictator, when he visited Britain in 1998.

The Pope was embroiled in new controversy this weekend over a letter he signed arguing that the “good of the universal church” should be considered against the defrocking of an American priest who committed sex offences against two boys. It was dated 1985, when he was in charge of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which deals with sex abuse cases.

Benedict will be in Britain between September 16 and 19, visiting London, Glasgow and Coventry, where he will beatify Cardinal John Henry Newman, the 19th-century theologian.

Dawkins and Hitchens believe the Pope would be unable to claim diplomatic immunity from arrest because, although his tour is categorised as a state visit, he is not the head of a state recognised by the United Nations.

They have commissioned the barrister Geoffrey Robertson and Mark Stephens, a solicitor, to present a justification for legal action.

The lawyers believe they can ask the Crown Prosecution Service to initiate criminal proceedings against the Pope, launch their own civil action against him or refer his case to the International Criminal Court.

Dawkins, author of The God Delusion, said: “This is a man whose first instinct when his priests are caught with their pants down is to cover up the scandal and damn the young victims to silence.”

Hitchens, author of God Is Not Great, said: “This man is not above or outside the law. The institutionalised concealment of child rape is a crime under any law and demands not private ceremonies of repentance or church-funded payoffs, but justice and punishment."

Last year pro-Palestinian activists persuaded a British judge to issue an arrest warrant for Tzipi Livni, the Israeli politician, for offences allegedly committed during the 2008-09 conflict in Gaza. The warrant was withdrawn after Livni cancelled her planned trip to the UK.

“There is every possibility of legal action against the Pope occurring,” said Stephens. “Geoffrey and I have both come to the view that the Vatican is not actually a state in international law. It is not recognised by the UN, it does not have borders that are policed and its relations are not of a full diplomatic nature.”

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Meh, "diplomatic immunity" will be invoked. He's technically head of the Vatican State, so this will fall flat on its face. I thought the Dawk would know better. Or is this just grandstanding?

[Feck]

Needs some Good PR ......I think some nasty people on the internet upset him and made him act like an ass in the media recently

[colubridae]

Hope he makes his attempt...

I love to see the papparatzi chasing the paparatzi...

Like headless chickens

[RuleBritannia]

Meh, "diplomatic immunity" will be invoked. He's technically head of the Vatican State, so this will fall flat on its face. I thought the Dawk would know better. Or is this just grandstanding?

In 2008 the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir on counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity. He's the first sitting head of state ever indicted by the ICC.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Meh, "diplomatic immunity" will be invoked. He's technically head of the Vatican State, so this will fall flat on its face. I thought the Dawk would know better. Or is this just grandstanding?

In 2008 the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir on counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity. He's the first sitting head of state ever indicted by the ICC.

Was he arrested? In England?

[RuleBritannia]

Meh, "diplomatic immunity" will be invoked. He's technically head of the Vatican State, so this will fall flat on its face. I thought the Dawk would know better. Or is this just grandstanding?

In 2008 the International Criminal Court issued an arrest warrant for Sudanese president Omar al-Bashir on counts of war crimes and crimes against humanity. He's the first sitting head of state ever indicted by the ICC.

Was he arrested? In England?

He hasn't been to Britain since his arrest warrant was issued. The only two countries he's visited since has been Egypt and Qatar both of which refused to arrest him and hand him over to the ICC, however neither of those countries have ratified the Rome Statute treaty, unlike the UK, and thus are not compelled to do so.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

He hasn't been to Britain since his arrest warrant was issued. The only two countries he's visited since has been Egypt and Qatar both of which refused to arrest him and hand him over to the ICC, however neither of those countries have ratified the Rome Statute treaty, unlike the UK.

If he was ballsy enough to show up in the UK, would he actually be arrested?

[charlou]

Needs some Good PR ......I think some nasty people on the internet upset him and made him act like an ass in the media recently

ahehehe ... so cynical

Meh, "diplomatic immunity" will be invoked. He's technically head of the Vatican State, so this will fall flat on its face. I thought the Dawk would know better. Or is this just grandstanding?

Either way, good fucking move, and there is this to consider:

“There is every possibility of legal action against the Pope occurring,” said Stephens. “Geoffrey and I have both come to the view that the Vatican is not actually a state in international law. It is not recognised by the UN, it does not have borders that are policed and its relations are not of a full diplomatic nature.”

Geoffrey Robertson is a fine legal and ethical mind, by the way, but does he have a snowball's chance in hell ... ? And if it even looked doable, Ratzinger would probably cancel the visit.

[tattuchu]

Why is Dawkins publicizing his intent? Why is he saying he's going to do it? Why doesn't he just do it? Now the Pope simply won't come Unless they're counting on the Pope's arrogance in believing he's above the law

[FBM]

Meh, "diplomatic immunity" will be invoked. He's technically head of the Vatican State, so this will fall flat on its face. I thought the Dawk would know better. Or is this just grandstanding?

Vatican City is technically a country and who else would be the head of state?


Is it not recognized by the UN as a country?

[RuleBritannia]

He hasn't been to Britain since his arrest warrant was issued. The only two countries he's visited since has been Egypt and Qatar both of which refused to arrest him and hand him over to the ICC, however neither of those countries have ratified the Rome Statute treaty, unlike the UK.

If he was ballsy enough to show up in the UK, would he actually be arrested?

Considering the headache the government will get for breaking an international treaty and the probable disapproval from the British people for letting a genocidal maniac go, arresting him is the easiest option.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Meh, "diplomatic immunity" will be invoked. He's technically head of the Vatican State, so this will fall flat on its face. I thought the Dawk would know better. Or is this just grandstanding?

Vatican City is technically a country and who else would be the head of state?


Is it not recognized by the UN as a country?

I said "technically" because he doesn't actually "rule" V.C., there's a council that does that.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Why is Dawkins publicizing his intent? Why is he saying he's going to do it? Why doesn't he just do it? Now the Pope simply won't come Unless they're counting on the Pope's arrogance in believing he's above the law

Dawkins is looking for a publicity stunt IMHO. And we still have to see the warrant created, just asking for one isn't the deed. (Unless the UK has quite different laws than the US.)

[RuleBritannia]

Meh, "diplomatic immunity" will be invoked. He's technically head of the Vatican State, so this will fall flat on its face. I thought the Dawk would know better. Or is this just grandstanding?

Vatican City is technically a country and who else would be the head of state?


Is it not recognized by the UN as a country?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vatican_City#Head_of_state

The Pope is ex officio head of state and head of government of Vatican City, functions dependent on his primordial function as bishop of the diocese of Rome. The term Holy See refers not to the Vatican state but to the Pope's spiritual and pastoral governance, largely exercised through the Roman Curia.[17] His official title with regard to Vatican City is Sovereign of the State of the Vatican City.

His principal subordinate government official for Vatican City is the President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State, who since 1952 exercises the functions previously belonging to the Governor of Vatican City. Since 2001, the President of the Pontifical Commission for Vatican City State also has the title of President of the Governorate of the State of Vatican City.

The Pope resides in the Papal Apartments of the Papal Palace just off Saint Peter's Square. It is here he carries out his business and meets foreign representatives.

The current Pope is Benedict XVI, born Joseph Alois Ratzinger in Bavaria, Germany. Italian Cardinal Giovanni Lajolo serves as President of the Pontifical Commission for the State of Vatican City. He was appointed by Pope Benedict XVI on 11 September 2006.