The Catholic Church has a formal diplomatic relationship with Australia, but there are calls for that to end
David Shoebridge, New Castle Hearald, February 20, 2017
Australia allows the Catholic Church to protect sexual predators, and any information the church holds on its own illegal activity, from the law. We let it do this by granting protections afforded to no other religious group. It is time this ended.
In 1973 the Australian government granted the Vatican (called the Holy See in official channels) formal diplomatic recognition. This protected the Vatican, and gave its senior officials and head office in Australia the same protection we afford embassies and staff of foreign nations.
Their documents cannot be subpoenaed and their senior officials cannot be . . .
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This is why the Pope promotes bishops and cardinals to positions in Rome when they are threatened with prosecution for sexual abuse crimes. It’s a way of playing the system-a rigged system. They are experts at playing the system to save themselves (the ordained elite class: the priests, bishops, and cardinals) while throwing survivors under the bus. Diplomatic immunity is why we may never see Cardinals or Popes brought to justice.