Slashdot Mirror
The Pope Criminalizes Leaks
PolygamousRanchKid writes "Pope Francis overhauled the laws that govern the Vatican City State on Thursday, criminalizing leaks of Vatican information and specifically listing sexual violence, prostitution and possession of child pornography as crimes against children that can be punished by up to 12 years in prison. But without the leaks, how would we find out about those crimes against children? Many of the new provisions were necessary to bring the city state's legal system up to date after the Holy See signed international treaties, such as the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child. Others were necessary to comply with international norms to fight money-laundering, part of the Vatican's push toward financial transparency. One new crime stands out, though, as an obvious response to the leaks of papal documents last year that represented one of the gravest Vatican security breaches in recent times. Paolo Gabriele, the butler for then-Pope Benedict XVI, was tried and convicted by a Vatican court of stealing Benedict's personal papers and giving them to an Italian journalist, Gianluigi Nuzzi. Using the documents, Nuzzi published a blockbuster book on the petty turf wars, bureaucratic dysfunction and allegations of corruption and homosexual liaisons that afflict the highest levels of Catholic Church governance. Gabriele, who said he wanted to expose the 'evil and corruption' that plagued the Holy See, was convicted of aggravated theft and sentenced to 18 months in the Vatican's police barracks."
So, how long until the Church devolves into an organization that takes people into dank cells someplace and tortures them. Oh... umm... nevermind.
This sets a dangerous precedent. Edward Snowden, Bradley Manning, and Julius Rosenberg should watch out lest the United States decides to follow this lead. Imagine, they could even face jail time for their whistleblowing activities!
In case you have not noticed there has recently been much discussion here about Edward Snowden, also Bradley Manning & others before. I will let you work out the links between these stories.
That's not achieving "immortality," that is achieving immorality. Big difference.
much of left-wing thought is a kind of playing with fire by people who don't even know that fire is hot - George Orwell
Or, if you like, motherfucker.
Since the Holy See is recognized as a nation at the UN it could be argued that the pope possesses sovereign and diplomatic immunity.
In other words, the sovereignty and diplomatic immunity of the Holy See may shield against prosecution for the Holy Feel.
Thank you, Edward Snowden.
"Arguments from authority are worthless." —Carl Sagan