Attorneys who have tried unsuccessfully for years to sue the Vatican over  failures to stop clergy sex abuse are looking into whether former Pope Benedict  XVI is more legally vulnerable in retirement, especially if he travels beyond  the Vatican walls.

A U.S. lawyer for the Vatican argues that, like any former head of state,  Benedict retains legal immunity regardless of whether he is in or out of office.  But advocates for victims say immunity in this case should be tested, since  modern-day courts have never before dealt with an emeritus pope.

“So much of this is unprecedented,” said Pamela Spees, an attorney with the  Center for Constitutional Rights in New York, which is pressing the  International Criminal Court to investigate the Vatican’s response to abusive  priests as a crime against humanity. “There’s nothing set in stone about  it.” Benedict stepped down last week, becoming the first pontiff in six centuries  to do so.

 

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