In the US, 11,750 allegations of church priest child sex abuse have so far featured in actions settled by archdioceses – in Los Angeles for $660m and in Boston for $100m.
In 2005 a test case in Texas failed because the Vatican sought and obtained the intercession of President Bush, who agreed to claim sovereign (ie head of state) immunity on the pope’s behalf. Bush lawyer John B Bellinger III certified that Pope Benedict the XVI was immune from suit “as the head of a foreign state”. Bellinger is now notorious for his defence of Bush administration torture policies.