Richard Dawkins: "I will arrest Pope Benedict XVI"

[Beckwin]

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/com...cle7094310.ece

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.

Praise Xenu, karma is great!

It'll be interesting to see how this plays out. I hope the solicitors can get British police to take action. If we need a glimmer of hope, this happened recently:

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 The warrant was withdrawn after Livni cancelled her planned trip to the UK.

[gaira]

you should really just stop posting.

[Andarvi]

Unfortunately, the example you provided with Livni, while it may be on the same premise, won't compare only because its the god damned POPE. This is a big deal for our time now, as it seems to be just snowballing with implications and acknowledged coverups, but the Catholic Church is so incredibly powerful on a global scale, even two of the most prominent and well respected anti-religion scholars in the world, with a library of evidence and precedents, won't be able to do much. If anything, I would imagine Britain would avoid it altogether so to not make an enemy out of the Catholic church. Well, unless someone uses a Phoenix Down on Henry VIII.

[Blarg]

don't they realize that the pope will just call jesus down to kung fu any cops who show up to arrest him

[Beckwin]

I hope Britain gets the balls to piss off the Catholic Church again, Andarvi, except this time it would be for a good reason.

As far as the Livni thing goes, yeah Britain isn't as blindly supportive of Israel as we are, but still, that was pretty big.

[Kuya]

Oh what a shit-storm this would cause if it worked.

[Andarvi]

Oh what a shit-storm this would cause if it worked.

Umm definitely could have a domino effect on a global scale. Would be verrry interesting.

[Rockstaru]

Dawkins be trollin' the Catholic Church again.

[Abandon]

shitstorm? more like lolzfest. good grief, this could be epic.

[Andarvi]

If the pope were legitimately arrested and taken into custody, could law enforcement legitimately separate him from his entourage? Or would they be with him 24/7. Obviously both are outlandish ideas but still.

Imagine a pope mug shot? id make him throw on a cloak and have his name on the board read palpatine.

[TheTaru]

Would absolutely make my LIFE if this happened, but it won't. Like Andarvi said, the Catholic Church is just way too powerful.

[Andarvi]

who you drafting first to make it happen?

http://www.schoolshistory.org.uk/hen...%20holbein.jpg

vs.

http://img2.timeinc.net/ew/dynamic/i...5/thanks_l.jpg

[TheTaru]

Henry is mah nigga

[Abandon]

henry was one of the realest niggas ever

[Olo401]

When I first saw this I thought Richard Dawson.. then oshi The Running Pope!

http://www.lazydork.com/movies/running.jpg

(need to shoop benedict's head onto Ahnuld here.. brb)

[Kaelan?]

Quote the entire story

Spoiler: show

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.”

Related:

[Mizango]

He's an atheist right?

[Xno Kappa]

How can they possibly think about doing this to the Pope. Have they no shame?

[Shuvo]

Who cares about Richard Dawkins. Christopher Hitchens pwns the shit out of him. <33333

[Pirian]

How can they possibly think about doing this to the Pope. Have they no shame?

How could the pope possibly think of brushing away victims of child rape. Have he no shame?

Spoiler: show

I'm not saying anything -- I'm just saying.