If the pope slaps you, is there any legal recourse? Or does he enjoy total immunity?

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If the pope slaps you, is there any legal recourse? Or does he enjoy total immunity?

Comments

  1. OrangutanOntology Avatar

    In the Vatican, in Kansas? I think it could just be boiled down to how far does diplomatic immunity go.

  2. MinnNiceEnough Avatar

    There’s no legal recourse; the Pope died.

  3. Novae224 Avatar

    The pope is dead

  4. Slambodog Avatar

    Turn the other cheek

  5. hotjuicytender Avatar

    I think you are supposed to slap em back. Then he would slap you again and then your turn then back and forth a few more times. Then you both laugh deep belly laughs and then the curse will be lifted from the world and then all wars end and everyone realized we are all connected and valid and worthy of love. The evil all just vaporizes and then we slip into the next dimension full of color and life… I think that’s how it goes.

  6. Different_Ice_6975 Avatar

    If a Pope (a one who is alive, of course) slaps you, you have no legal recourse against him. The Pope is not just a religious leader, he is also the Head of State of Vatican City, a sovereign country, and so he enjoys full diplomatic immunity in other countries.

    And, actually, the Pope who just recently passed away did slap someone in 2019. A woman grabbed his hand aggressively and tried to yank him toward her, and so he slapped her hand twice and walked away with a frown. Probably would have been difficult for the woman to sue him because she did initiate physical contact in an aggressive manner, but Pope publicly apologized the very next day nonetheless.

    So if you’re innocently walking down the street and minding your own business and the Pope comes up and slaps you, you have no legal recourse but you can expect to receive profuse public apologies from the Pope and the Vatican within 24 hours.

  7. -Foxer Avatar

    Well he’s dead so if he slaps you I’d say you have bigger things to worry about

  8. keybiscuit Avatar

    I’d sue the absolute shit out of him

  9. Fancy_Environment133 Avatar

    Just take it. You were there. No one else to blame for your weak-mindedness

  10. Awkward-Feature9333 Avatar

    If he slaps you ex cathedra, he was right to do so. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Papal_infallibility

    If you slap him back, he’s supposed to turn the other cheek to get a second slap, tho. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turning_the_other_cheek

  11. ThatsItImOverThis Avatar

    I bet there are a fair number of people who would just look at him and say “Thank you, may I have another?”

  12. KindAwareness3073 Avatar

    Yes, and no. Like most things in life it depends. Here’s the international treaty:

    https://legal.un.org/ilc/texts/instruments/english/conventions/9_1_1961.pdf

  13. Draconuus95 Avatar

    The pope is a foreign dignitary. So they would have diplomatic immunity much like other ambassadors or heads of state. Worst anyone could do to them legally is kick them out of their country. It takes extreme measures to revoke someone’s diplomatic credentials at that sort of level. So likely. The worst thing that would happen to them is someone asking them to please not slap anyone else.

  14. cjbartoz Avatar

    He will not slap you, there’s an age limit.

  15. True_Fill9440 Avatar

    Hell he can slap the ass of a 14 year old he’s riding and be fine

  16. BanderSys Avatar

    I think your more immediate concern would be your broken face bones from that big-ass ring.

  17. FredPSmitherman Avatar

    He’s dead
    I don’t think he’s going to slap you 

  18. MacDaddyDC Avatar

    I mean, the Swiss guard may have a little something to say about you trying to slap the pope, dead or alive.

    Pro tip: don’t screw with trained, armed guards

  19. BigAndTall1968 Avatar

    Come on, let’s be real. He’s a Catholic priest, that wouldn’t be the worst thing he’s done.

  20. Curious-Bench-5696 Avatar

    Trump does why not the Pope.

  21. Or0b0ur0s Avatar

    He’s the head of state of a sovereign nation with Observer status at the United Nations.

    Now, if he actually caused you injury or loss, there’s probably a law firm, somewhere, who’d take the case against the Vatican, who would ultimately be responsible, not the Pontiff, personally. Depending on the circumstances, of course.

    For a slap? You’re probably just better off hoping you can get the rights to some decent footage of the event and make some coin off that, somehow.

  22. Affectionate_Ear495 Avatar

    The pope is infallible

  23. EvidenceElegant8379 Avatar

    🤣 I’m just hearing Eazy-E’s voice saying, “I reached back like the Pope and I slapped the ho.”

  24. ForceDeep3144 Avatar

    A guy named Calm O’Garman sued Pope John Paul II in 1998 over sexual abuse by a priest. He won 300k is damages and used the money to setup some support charities. Cool guy, worth reading about.

    There have been a bunch of other lawsuits that name the pope directly, though it’s way more common to sue the Catholic Church.

    Point being, there is legal recourse. Not saying you’d win, but you could press legal criminal charges for battery.

  25. HawaiiStockguy Avatar

    He is dead now, so it would count as a miracle

  26. FatalOblivion8 Avatar

    I would consider that an act of war and respond in kind.

  27. SweetSexiestJesus Avatar

    Then we’re fighting. He’s old, usually, I could take him

  28. Fall_of_the_Empire25 Avatar

    Only God can judge him.

    Don’cha just love double standards?

  29. Pickeled-tink Avatar

    Wouldn’t that be considered divinely willed, if he loosed his hand across your face?

  30. debunk101 Avatar

    face or butt?

  31. Helix_PHD Avatar

    Legally? You’re boned? In harsh reality? Lmao, just push him over, they only come in “old fart” model, he’ll die right there.

  32. CRO553R Avatar

    Infinite douchebag credits

    When a person, especially a celebrity, has built up so much goodwill that they would be excused from a heinous act.
    Tom Hanks has so many douchebag credits that if he were to punch a nun, the first thing people would do is ask what the nun did to make Tom so angry.

  33. Mace_Thunderspear Avatar

    If the pope takes a swing at you.
    Drop it like it’s hot.

  34. ADP-1 Avatar

    If the Pope slaps you, you probably deserved it!

  35. VelVeetaLasVegas Avatar

    Pure immunity…until your hand slaps him back

  36. Warm-Marketing1916 Avatar

    [ Removed by Reddit ]

  37. Horror_Pay7895 Avatar

    If the Pope slaps you…you have been Popeslapped!

  38. Oatmeal_RaisinCookie Avatar

    if the pope slaps me, you damn sure Imma slap him back

  39. darksider63 Avatar

    If a low level priest touches a kid inappropriately he just gets moved to another parish and you’re asking about the pope slapping someone?

  40. Life_Exchange_7188 Avatar

    I don’t care, he slaps me and I’m uppercutting that mofo.

  41. ProfessorOfPancakes Avatar

    In Vatican City, he’s basically a king, so suing him wouldn’t go anywhere.

    Outside Vatican City, he’d have diplomatic immunity, so suing him wouldn’t go anywhere.

    In non-hypothetical reality, there isn’t currently a pope, so there’d be nobody to sue.

  42. Chernyyvoron82 Avatar

    Well… the last time the pope slapped away the hand of that Chinese lady we got Covid. I really hope he doesn’t slap anyone else.

  43. devl_ish Avatar

    The question is, who ya gonna call?

  44. DaddaMongo Avatar

    Spank me father for I have sinned

  45. maane499 Avatar

    But how can he slap?

  46. kantbykilt Avatar

    If the Pope slaps you, you probably deserved it.

  47. Ok_Champion_3065 Avatar

    You probably deserved it. 

  48. siguefish Avatar

    If that cadaver slaps me I’m not going to be thinking about the law.

  49. ccminiwarhammer Avatar

    What if he slaps you with his big knobby half naked >!crucifix!<?

  50. dmc623 Avatar

    But he can be held civilly liable, right?

  51. Byte606 Avatar

    The pope is infallible. You probably deserved it.

  52. Songbird_1412 Avatar

    A priest friend of mine told me that up until fairly recently you could be excommunicated for punching a priest

  53. OhAces Avatar

    He’s just a dude with a job at a mega rich corporation that has its own country. Probably no legal recourse though. You could slap back, but it probably wouldn’t go so well.

  54. Responsible_Fox1231 Avatar

    If the Pope slaps you, you deserved it. You take it and move on.

    In the off chance that you didn’t deserve, you still take it and move on.

    Edit: And by the way, I’m not a Catholic. In fact, I’m agnostic, but I still believe the Pope is a good person with a good moral code.

  55. smokeyfantastico Avatar

    He’ll enjoy meeting his god.