THE Chief Constable in charge of security for the Pope’s visit to the UK next week warned today that anyone attempting to arrest Ratzi will be arrested themselves. The warning was issued at a meeting facilitated by the Metropolitan Police in London between Catholic Archbishop Peter Smith of Southwark and leaders of the Protest the Pope coalition.
If only ... Joseph Ratzinger as many would like to see him
According to the Catholic Herald, police officers are being given instructions on how to deal with protesters attempting a citizen’s arrest.
This, apparently, follows threats earlier this year by, among others, human rights campaigners Peter Tatchell and Geoffrey Robinson QC to arrest the Pope for crimes against humanity.
But the Herald reports that, after the meeting, Archbishop Smith said the Church had been given:
A very clear assurance that those seeking to ‘protest the Pope’ have no intention of disrupting any of the events during the papal visit.
He added:
We had an open and frank discussion on the issues of child abuse, homosexuality and the status of Pope Benedict’s visit as a state visit. I undertook to report back to my fellow bishops the particular concerns raised. I am extremely grateful to DCI Chris Lundrigan and his staff for hosting and facilitating a candid meeting.
The meeting was held at New Scotland Yard and included Andrew Copson of the British Humanist Association, Terry Sanderson of the National Secular Society and Peter Tatchell, who said said protesters had never planned to disturb papal events.
We have always said that our protests will be peaceful and lawful. There has never been any question of disrupting events.
In addition to drawing up what he described as a legal case for Pope Benedict’s arrest, Robinson has written a book released today entitled The Case of the Pope: Vatican Accountability for Human Rights Abuse.
In it he argues that the Vatican should be treated as “a rogue state” by the world until it deals properly with child sexual abuse by priests.
In his book, he argues the Vatican and Pope Benedict are hiding behind a weak claim to statehood to dodge responsibility for failing to act against thousands of priests worldwide who have abused children. In an interview with the Irish Times, he said:
Human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robinson QC
I came to this fresh. But when I read the Ferns report, the Murphy report, I couldn’t believe it. Words kept cropping up: widespread, endemic, systematic abuse. The words clung to me.
In Ireland, numbers of victims run into thousands; in the United States it stands at a “conservative” 10,000-plus, while 50 of Malta’s 850 Catholic priests have been suspended on suspicion of abuse.
Everyone says wait for Africa and Latin America, because a lot of paedophile priests have been ‘trafficked’ to Africa and Latin America – where they are not being closely watched and where complaints don’t get made. The head of the African bishops’ conference said last month, ‘They sent us wolves in sheep’s clothing.’ The scale of the thing just staggered me.
Describing the Holy See as “a palace with gardens” rather than a state, Robertson argues that it has hidden behind the immunity offered by such a status.
Statehood has allowed the Vatican to ‘throw dust in the eyes’ of governments. Political leaders rush to the Vatican to kiss the pope’s ring to get blessed in the hope that it will play well with their electors. Even Tony Blair couldn’t wait. And the Vatican is using this power over politicians.
The Freethinker was founded in 1881 by GW Foote, an outspoken critic of religion. After the publication of 
September 8th, 2010 at 9:25 pm
So there we have it. Not only will the British police prosecute people to cover up their own abuse, they will now collude with an organization that protects paedophiles.
What charges would be drummed up I wonder?
September 8th, 2010 at 9:31 pm
Absolutely disgusting police response. They should be arresting Ratzinger themselves.
September 8th, 2010 at 10:16 pm
So much for the rule of law; so much for equality before the law; so much for the public being dealt with fairly. From the outset, this disreputable man, heading an organisation steeped in deceit, lies and cover ups to protect its bishops and priests is to be treated with a tender consideration and respect, even reverence, far beyond anything available to any other body. To protect this gang the suffering, the terror, the misery inflicted on children during their most tender years counts for nothing. What must prevail is the carnival with their gilded robes, the giving of the respect and adulation they crave.
That our politcians, police, royalty succumb to this shames them and stains our country. To add to the contempt in which the ordinary public, who will not benefit from the banquets and bullshit, is clearly held is that most of the costs are being foricibly taken from us through taxes.
September 8th, 2010 at 10:18 pm
I for one would be more than happy to milk every ounce of PR I could from getting arrested whist attempting to collar this shameless, unapologetic figurehead for some of the world’s most inexcusable and divisive iron-age claptrap. Does anybody know of any other organised protests other than the march on London? I’d happily go to them all.
September 8th, 2010 at 10:57 pm
The Metropolitan Police have just made themselves accessories to crimes against humanity. Nice job. And since when was it up to the police to pick and choose who they will arrest and for what purposes? What sheer contempt they must have for the public that they would threaten them for acting on their conscience, making it plain that they will use and abuse their power to make us sorry if we step out of line. These bullies with batons have no sense of decency and appear to have become nothing more than enforcers of the will of the political class.
September 8th, 2010 at 11:01 pm
Given the Met are now part of the cover up, and the met are not a state or even a fake state, how about arresting the head of the met for being complicit in the cover-up of child rape? Or how about go after anyone who donates to the catholic church – they’re complicit too.
September 8th, 2010 at 11:26 pm
Once again religion is allowed to be above the law; and the Met have a long history of corruption so make excellent bedfellows for the corrupt catholic church. What happened with the attempt to get the High Court to issue an arrest the pope warrant?
September 8th, 2010 at 11:38 pm
We have always said that our protests will be peaceful and lawful.
Isn’t arresting The Pope lawful then? I’d like to see the premise at least put to the test!
September 8th, 2010 at 11:40 pm
Unfortunately, this kind of behaviour is endemic; politicians and royal riff-raff from all over the world flock to Rome for a photo-op at the Vatican, the state that was created by Mussolini, Hitler’s pall; now there’s good reason to treat this ‘state’ with due reverence. A bit out of touch with the commoners, the lot of them.
September 9th, 2010 at 9:00 am
Is there any priests that don’t fiddle with children?
To treat this vile man with all the reverence of a full state visit sends a totally wrong message. I hope this comes back to bite the politicians who have signed up to it.
September 9th, 2010 at 9:29 am
Be you ever so high, the law is above you……unless you’re religious of course. The met. don’t exactly cover themselves in glory here, do they?
September 9th, 2010 at 10:23 am
Seems Inspector Knacker decides in advance whom he intends to arrest. Favourite arrrestees are those, usually without much power and lacking the entree in the magic circle of royalty, politicos and newspaper barons. Favourite excusees are royalty (Harry Windsor shot a rare Hen Harrier, smoking gun found but CPS said not enough evidence); Tony Blair (if ever a man should have been before a court it has to be him); Religious bosses (Nuff said with Ratzi the prime example; and a variety of thieving MPs with their tax funded moats etc.
September 9th, 2010 at 10:28 am
If somebody did arrest the ugly old scroat, he’d probably ask for Legal Aid and get it. This visit is costing us far too much as it is.
September 9th, 2010 at 12:25 pm
I don’t see why there needed to be a meeting in the first place, it just plays into their hands if someone does attempt something. Bit of a coup for the catholics I’d say.
September 9th, 2010 at 12:57 pm
@barriejohn
The arrest wouldn’t be lawful, because there would be plenty of police around. It is only lawful if the criminal, in this case Joey “The Pope” Ratzinger, wasn’t accessible to the police – I presume he will be surrounded by them.
September 9th, 2010 at 1:09 pm
The Independent has reported that the meeting took place but no mention of arrest for an attempted arrest.
http://www.independent.co.uk/n.....74273.html
September 9th, 2010 at 6:09 pm
If I might suggest, this is something I was thinking about if Ratswinger came around my neck of the woods:
Buy a bunch of teddy bears (the closer the resemblance to pedobear, the better). Then, at the protest while he’s driving by in his batmobile, hold them up. If possible, pelt the car, though understandable if not since his goons are always around. Another idea would be to set the bears all along the parade route, wherever they would be visible, with nametags of people victimized by this bastard and his cohorts. Try to give him and all his accomplices an idea of the scale of their crimes.
September 9th, 2010 at 7:24 pm
When the pope does it, it is not a sin.
September 9th, 2010 at 11:22 pm
It was never going to happen. No responsible secularist was ever going to try a full-on citizen’s arrest, Tatchell’s heroic attempt on Mugabe was a different matter. I support his position.
It’s about demonstrating in legal terms that there is no immunity. Not some publicity stunt which will, at most, be a scramble in the street. Robinson is a formidable and very suitably qualified advocate. That’s where the damage will be done.
Call for his arrest, by all means. But don’t pretend to be outraged when it doesn’t happen. That was never the intention of the campaign.
September 10th, 2010 at 6:13 pm
“Tatchell’s heroic attempt on Mugabe was a different matter. ”
I disagree that it was a different matter. I understand why it won’t happen, and was never truly going to happen, but the man is and has been a danger to children (not to mention women and pretty much anyone in Africa) through his action and inaction, and I see no reason he should not be charged. The police’s threat simply demonstrates the state’s obnoxious contempt for justice, law and its own people when the cool kids come over to play. The campaign may have been to demonstrate the Pope should not have immunity in legal terms, but what does that matter when the state is happy to protect him from the consequences of his crimes?
September 10th, 2010 at 7:24 pm
The Vatican believes it’s power and wealth puts it in a position above the law and that it need not answer to anyone for it’s actions.
This demonstration presents a once in a century chance to shatter that myth of Papal invincibility and demonstrate that no organization is above the laws of common decency and none can ignore the will of the people.
Only a massive and aggressive show of strength and outrage can effect any change and in that spirit I implore every moral person to make a super human effort to promote this monumental event.
Another chance like this may not occur in our lifetimes and the whole World is watching to see if we can really turn our words into action.
Don’t let them down.
September 11th, 2010 at 7:21 am
Just love the photo! They really do say a thousand words. The photo captures all that’s rank and nasty about the Joe Ratzinger (sounds like a hamburger)Pope. Does the card that ratzy’s grasping say “vatican twit”?
September 13th, 2010 at 9:30 pm
If you try to arrest the pope, getting arrested will be one of the better outcomes for you, but, it’s more likely you’ll get shot if you try because the cops will have to assume you’re trying to assassinate the pope.
Protest is one thing, but making everyone’s (already difficult) day a pain with a futile and embarrassing kamikaze action is lame.
September 15th, 2010 at 10:05 pm
The pope is the antichrist pure and simple.Arrest him,they should send him to the tower.
When I look at his grotesque face it reminds me of the demented priest in the Poltergeist movie who was leading his people to their deaths. AIDS etc hmmm yep that rings a bell
September 20th, 2010 at 4:43 am
Thankfully, the Pope’s visit passed off wonderfully. The cynics were given their answer and those who got into the spirit of the occasion stole the hearts of the nation and the world.
We saw Benedict for what he really is- a kind, sensitive and caring man!
Anyone who does a little research will find that this Pope has a great record on dealing with child abuse and is totally commented to stamping it out. Catholic Church child protection guidelines today would put many State systems to shame.