http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/08/17/world/main783821.shtmlPope Sued, Accused Of Sex Coverup
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ROME, August 17, 2005
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(AP) A lawyer who's suing Pope Benedict for allegedly covering up the sexual abuse of children by a seminarian says he'll challenge U.S. diplomatic recognition of the Vatican if the pope is given immunity as a head of state.
In the Texas civil lawsuit, Joseph Ratzinger -- now Pope Benedict -- is accused of conspiring with the Archdiocese of Galveston-Houston to cover up the abuse of three boys during the mid-1990s.
Attorney Daniel Shea, who's representing one of three boys suing the pope, told reporters in Rome that President Bush should ignore a Vatican request to confirm Benedict's immunity.
Otherwise, Shea says he'll challenge the constitutionality of U.S. recognition of the Vatican as a sovereign state, although similar court challenges have failed in the past.
Link to story:
http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2005/08/17/world/main783821.shtml