Wednesday, April 30, 2008 Lawyer sues Pope, Cardinal Rosales
"IT WILL be up to the Manila Prosecutor's Office to determine their merits."
Peachy Yamsuan, head of the archdiocese of Manila's Office of Communications, issued the statement in reaction to the case filed by lawyer and political wannabe Ely Pamatong against Pope Benedict XVI and Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Cardinal Rosales.
Pamatong on Tuesday filed a complaint against the Pope and Rosales with the Manila Prosecutors Office for alleged human rights violation, international swindling and teaching of immoral doctrines.
But Lingayen Archbishop Oscar Cruz, a canon law expert and former president of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), is convinced that the case would not prosper.
"I have my big doubts on how this case would prosper. Suing the Holy Father based on religious principles and other alleged misdeeds is quite way above the ordinary. But off-hand I can readily predict that the case will not prosper," Cruz said.
He said while everybody has the right to file any case against anybody, there are instances when a person must use not only reason but also logic to see the validity of the issue.
He also admitted that there had been some cases filed against the bishop but this will be the first time that the Pope is being charged.
"Cases filed against bishops are more common or more understandable than any case filed against a head of a State by somebody who does not even belong or is not a citizen of the Vatican," said Cruz.
"(I think) this is quite a strange issue to bring before the Philippine justice system," added the prelate.
In his complaint, Pamatong, known as "Spike Boy," for placing spikes on roads after he was declared a nuisance presidential candidate in 2004, claimed that the Holy Father and Rosales violated human rights violations, international swindling, and immoral doctrines.
According to Pamatong, the Roman Catholic leaders were guilty of human rights violations by disrupting the peace of non-Catholics by holding "tools of terror harassment."
He referred to these "tools of terror" as the church speakers used during masses that "disturb the peace and quiet of non-Catholics."
Likewise, he accused the Pontiff as ringleader of an international swindling syndicate that collects trillions of dollars from the faithful while Rosales was his counterpart in the Philippines.
As evidence, Pamatong attached copies of postal money orders that were sent both to the Pope and Rosales.
The copies showed certain E. John Pamatong sending P100 each to the Pope and Rosales on February 18, 2008.
Pamatong also accused the two spiritual leaders of teaching immoral doctrines and "dogmas."
He said the story of Noah in the Old Testament was not "true" because if it was, then why were dinosaurs able to survive?
Noah was a character in the Holy Bible who was ordered by God to build a humongous ark and put pairs of animals of the same kind and his family as continuous rains will destroy the whole earth. (FP/MSN/Sunnex)
