European Raelian Movement sues Pope Benedict XVI

...“The Vatican has maintained an ongoing campaign against the ERM for years,” said Marcus Wenner, Raelian bishop of the U.K. Raelian Movement. “That campaign was obviously carried out in retaliation for the Movement's clear stance against pedophilia and the cover-ups rampant within the Catholic Church clergy. And there are several other tenets of Vatican policy the Raelian Movement directly opposes, such as its genocidal position against using condoms in Africa, which results in continued HIV infections, deaths of millions and subsequent orphaning of children.

Forewarning Benedict XVI of the impending suit, the ERM also claimed in its pre-litigation letter that his actions continue to violate international law along with treaties on genocide and those concerning organized sexual abuse and trafficking in children.

“We are indeed aware of the seriousness of the allegations and we will provide documents which we feel are ample proof,” Wenner said. Vatican actions or lack of actions have violated many international laws, such as The Convention on the Rights of the Child, The Charter of Fundamental Rights of the European Union (Articles X & XXII) and the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms (Article IX).”

Under Pope John Paul II, then-Cardinal Ratzinger was in charge of dealing with the pedophilia scandal, to which Raelians were drawing attention in the 1990's.

While Richard Dawkins and others have voiced their desire to have Pope Benedict arrested for such crimes as the ERM is alleging, U.K. Raelians are contending in court that they have a greater right to sue because of the history of legal judgments against them. In one such case a few years ago, a Belgian court ruled against NOPEDO, a branch of the ERM, for publicizing the Vatican's pedophilia cover-ups. In a report released in Belgium last week by church investigator Peter Adriaenssens, more than 300 cases of abuse are listed, mostly involving minors. The report said they had been found in nearly every diocese, and 13 alleged victims had committed suicide. ...

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