(May 23, 2010 at 10:05 am)Dotard Wrote: I don't understand why it needs to cost the UK anything.
The UK is a free country. It doesn't cost them a penny when I go to visit. What do they need to pay for security for? This is God's right hand man. If he gets whacked, it was God's will was it not? Shouldn't security be handled by God?
If the pope fails to provide for his own security and gets whacked, is he partly responsible for the crime committed against him?
(not legally, personally)
It's political (votes) and legal:
Political: There a LOT of Catholics in the UK and they vote.
Legal: The Pope is a serving Head Of State. Refusing him any protection, facility or courtesy would be in breach of international law and set a very dangerous precedent.
The treatment the Pope receives is pragmatic,not moral. Relationships between states are ALWAYS quid pro quo at some level.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Quote:Under international law, a serving head of state has sovereign immunity from the jurisdiction of the courts of other countries, though not from that of international tribunals.[52][53][54] This immunity is sometimes loosely referred to as "diplomatic immunity", which is, strictly speaking, the immunity enjoyed by the diplomatic representatives of a head of state.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pope
