Philly court vs. the Papacy

[Hauldren Collider]

And how is that enforced?

What would happen if they violated the conditions?

Excommunication, probably.

Boo hoo

[Ben Kenobi]

And how is that enforced?

What, house arrest? Priests have specific living quarters. The Catholic church tells them where they have to live. They don't get to have a say. That they would leave, would be enforced by the presiding bishop - in Rome that would be the pope.

What would happen if they violated the conditions?

They would likely get defrocked, shipped back to America and left to fend for themselves. The punishment from the ecclesiastical courts would be a 'last ditch' effort to keep them out of prison. If they chose to violate the rules that they agreed to - well, sucks to be them.

Oh, and HC - for a priest, excommunication is no different from getting defrocked. A priest cannot remain a priest and be excommunicated at the same time.

[Ben Kenobi]

The accused should face the full force of the local legal system first.

So when does the statute of limitations apply? See, that's the problem. 40 year allegations would be inadmissible and the priest would walk a free man. I am skeptical that the legal system can actually try these cases successfully.

Ecclesiastical courts, good or bad, are irrelevant outside the religion.

They have real consequences for the priest, unlike the secular courts.

[Imran Siddiqui]

So.... 7 years in prison = no real consequences for the priest?

Sorry, the man committed a crime in the United States jurisdiction and should be tried by the courts of the US for violations of US law and then afterwards can be sent to Rome for "ecclesiastic punishment" instead of the other way around. I'm think I'm seeing more and more what Martin Luther was going on about.

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

So when does the statute of limitations apply?

In Britain, never.

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

The punishment from the ecclesiastical courts would be a 'last ditch' effort to keep them out of prison.

Why should they get that? Why not treat them like any other human being?

[Ben Kenobi]

Sorry, the man committed a crime in the United States jurisdiction and should be tried by the courts of the US for violations of US law and then afterwards can be sent to Rome for "ecclesiastic punishment" instead of the other way around. I'm think I'm seeing more and more what Martin Luther was going on about.

And just how are you going to waive all the rules to try the cases? I'm seeing more of what Moore was going on about.

[Ben Kenobi]

Why should they get that? Why not treat them like any other human being?

Because they are priests and they have obligations to the Catholic church. Look, we get it. You think that priests are evil. So did Elizabeth. It's not exactly an uncommon attitude. Priests should be protected from lynch mobs, whether it's in the USA or China.

[Ben Kenobi]

In Britain, never.

Well, then. Chop off all their heads. It's not like you haven't done that before...

[Proteus_MST]

Why would you complain about this hypothetical case where the priest would first gets punished by secular courts and then transferred to the vatican to be tried by your ecclesiastical court?

You said that the punishment of the ecclesiastical court is harsher than that of the secular court. Well, then it would be no problem for the ecclesiastical court, to put a few years house arrest on top of the years of prison that the priest served prior to getting transferred to the vatican.

This way both should be satisfied ... the secular public, because the priest was sentenced by a secular court (therefore getting the same treatment as any other citizen [who isn´t a catholic priest]) as well as the catholic church, because it, afterwards, was able to punish said priest according to their ecclesiastical laws

Or, with a slight modification of biblical words:
This way you render unto the state what´s the states and unto the church what is the churchs

[Bugs ****ing Bunny]

Because they are priests and they have obligations to the Catholic church. Look, we get it. You think that priests are evil. So did Elizabeth. It's not exactly an uncommon attitude. Priests should be protected from lynch mobs, whether it's in the USA or China.

How does simply suggesting they face the same treatment at law as absolutely every other human being equate to thinking priests are evil?

[giblets]

Well, then. Chop off all their heads. It's not like you haven't done that before...

Death penalty for raping children? Not a bad idea.

[Hauldren Collider]

I still don't see why Ben thinks that Catholic priests should be treated any differently than, say, Scientologist ones. Or you know, just people in general.

[Ben Kenobi]

How does simply suggesting they face the same treatment at law as absolutely every other human being equate to thinking priests are evil?

The fact that you are calling for special rules for special people. Exceptions to the law is why extraterritoriality was invented to ensure that people got justice not lynch mobs.

[Ben Kenobi]

I still don't see why Ben thinks that Catholic priests should be treated any differently than, say, Scientologist ones. Or you know, just people in general.

*sigh*

You can't charge someone for something they did 40 years ago. If you want to see something other than priests being tried and walking away - then this is the answer. Making 'special' rules for priests is wrong.