Do you think it is right that pope Benedict should get protection against sexual abuse claims?

The Folks at the Vatican say they are above the laws of any Nation/Country on Earth, they claim to answer to a "higher power" which is code words for "WE DO WHAT EVER THE HELL WE WANT TO DO AND THE REST OF THE WORLD CAN JUST F OFF!"

It is way past time to bring Man's Laws crashing down on the Vatican...

I am sure this is not for the last time, but let's get the facts straight here: His entire connection to the problem has been his efforts to root it out and stop it. He came to the papacy from an office which had among its duties the removal of abusive priests. He has steadily striven, in that office and as Pope, against a culture, created by his predecessors, that hid abusers and allowed them opportunities for further abuse.

The only claims made against him have come from money-grubbing lawyers who decided that attacking the Pope directly got them more attention.

The sexual abuses in the Catholic Church are bad. But the public focus on them has ignored two things:

(1) There are people in the church, and Benedict has been among their leaders, who have not been responsible for any abuses or cover-ups, and who have done their best to stop both.

(2) There are similar incidents of abuse in other churches that don't get as much attention because those churches aren't as large or hierarchically organized.

Both these flaws in the public attention tend to put an inappropriate focus on this particular Pope. If you want to blame Popes, a couple of his predecessors do deserve it. Benedict XVI does not.

First Off, The Pope has never sexually abused anyone do to the fact he is followed by the Swiss guards everywhere.

The Catholic Church is usually targeted by people pretending to have been molested because last year the Catholic Church was estimated at 575.0 Billion Dollars and have money to spend.

But the true fact is that the Catholic Church has NOT been convicted by the Police because they didn't actually do it.

If Smart people actually read the facts from the United Nations Religious Affairs they would know the Catholic Church has one of the lowest molestation rating.

Catholic - 1.4

Orthodox - 2.3

Protestant - 14.0

Judaism - 23.0

Islam - 97.9

To the first answerer .... INNUENDO ???? Sexual abuse has been occurring for hundreds of years by clergymen who extremely understand that an imaginary god can not see abuses and also you call the claims innuendos. you're easily a tricky nosed perception sure individual

True faith by definition takes a level of delusion that had to be caused by something being psychologically "Off" so obviously you gonna have a higher percentage of the faithful committing these sick perverted crimes, But freaking Religion just has to much power and influence that people get to hide behind Religion because the authorities are just too scared to confront them, And to me this is one of the reasons Religion is so dangerous and they shouldn't just be left alone to their own devices like a lot of people here expect.

He should get protection against sexual abuse. Nobody should be allowed to abuse him. As for claims that is a whole other story.

Like the Queen, all heads of State have diplomatic immunity.

Because the Vatican is a Country, and a very influential one at that, all the buggers in the Catholic Church have diplomatic immunity. The world council of churches is under Catholic Jesuit control much to the shame of all who bow to their authority. Populations need to tear down steeples, obelisks, and loot all the Catholic churches until they hand over their rapist for prosecution or until every stone and timber is carried off to be used for a better purpose. Selah

Samwise! The bones of the babies from rape victims have recently been found in the incinerator under the Catholic church on Kuper Island native reserve in BC. Nothing short of the demolition and investigation of Catholic buildings will serve justice here. We want the reminder of the centuries of torture, rape, theft and murder reduced to rubble

PS I never thought a newspaper would agree with an answer such as mine but look at this:

Exclusive Breaking News: Friday February 15, 2013

12 midnight GMT

An Urgent Update from the International Tribunal into Crimes of Church and State (ITCCS) – Brussels

Rome:

In a statement to Reuters today, Vatican officials announced that Joseph Ratzinger will remain a permanent resident of Vatican City after his resignation. Doing so will offer him legal protection from any attempt to prosecute him in connection with sexual abuse cases around the world, Church sources said today

"His continued presence in the Vatican is necessary, otherwise he might be defenseless".

This startling admission of guilt by the church is also a direct obstruction of justice, and lends more weight to the charge by the ITCCS and others that the Vatican has arranged with the Italian government to shield Ratzinger from criminal prosecution, in violation of international laws ratified by Italy.

Commentary:

The Vatican decided today to give permanent sanctuary to a proven war criminal by allowing Joseph Ratzinger to obstruct justice and evade prosecution for crimes against humanity. And the government of Italy is colluding in this abrogation of international law.

This decision validates our claims about the criminal conspiracy surrounding Ratzinger and his Vatican co-conspirators. It also makes it clear that the Vatican is a rogue power that is flaunting every law to conceal its own criminality.

In response, the ITCCS calls upon its affiliates and all people of conscience to use our upcoming Easter Reclamation Campaign to converge on Rome and the Vatican to force the extradition of Ratzinger from Vatican City, and place him and his accessories on trial for crimes against humanity.

Commencing Sunday, March 24, 2013, our activists and others will begin an escalating series of Catholic church occupations and seizures of church property to bring about Ratzinger's extradition and reclaim stolen wealth from the criminal corporation known as Vatican Inc. – in the name of the legion of their victims, both living and dead.

.. and from Kevin Annett – The Rat Scurries Back to Vat!.

No, I don't. Everyone else has to pay for the injustices they've done to other people, why should the (ex-)Pope be any different?

Kind of ironic when they forbid protection during sex, don't you think?