Who knew the Pope was such a spiteful dick?

The Vatican Taliban does it again.

It issued an announcement regarding changes made to procedures for dealing with what it terms "exceptionally serious crimes," (for example, acts of pedophilia committed by a priest, deacon or bishop) by extending the statute of limitations from 10 years after the victim's 18th birthday to 20 years.

In that same list of "exceptionally serious crimes," it included the ordination of women to the priesthood. The Vatican thus associated the latter to priestly pedophilia as a serious crime against faith and morals - an implied equivalence that many catholics find repugnant. From the NYTimes:

The Vatican's decision to list women's ordination in the same category as pedophiles and rapists is appalling, offensive, and a wake-up call for all Catholics around the world. This new canonical declaration which names women's ordination as a serious crime against the Roman Catholic Church is medieval at best. The idea that a woman seeking to spread the message of God somehow "defiles" the Eucharist reveals an antiquated, backwards Church that still views women as "unclean" and unholy.

It is clear this recent decision was made out of fear of our growing numbers. The Vatican is using this attempt to extinguish the widespread call for women's equality in the church. In a statement published on May 29, 2008 in L'Observatorio Romano, the Vatican's official newspaper, all women who "attempt ordination" and the bishops who ordain them are automatically excommunicated, known as latae sententiae. Adding delicta gravioria as a scare tactic to already "excommunicated" women and the priests who support us is ridiculous and does not make a bit of difference. [...]

In the face of one closed door after another, Catholic women will continue to make a way when there is none. We will continue to speak out. And women will continue to prophetically answer their call to priestly ordination with or without the Vatican's approval.

Pope Maledict and his gowned bullies can't be happy with last month's US Supreme Court decision that rejected the Vatican's request for dismissal of a civil litigation case where the Oregon complainant is seeking financial compensation from the church.

At issue was whether the Vatican, a foreign sovereign nation, can be forced to pay money damages to a US citizen for the alleged illegal acts of one of its employees.[...]

Foreign nations are generally immune from lawsuits. But under the Foreign Sovereign Immunities Act, Congress said a foreign nation can be sued in a US court if the harmful act was carried out by an official or employee of the foreign state “while acting within the scope of his office or employment.”

“Sexual abuse is clearly outside the scope of a priest’s employment,” Vatican lawyers said in their brief.

The victim is identified in the lawsuit by the pseudonym John V. Doe. His lawyers say the Vatican is partly responsible for the sexual abuse their client endured as a teenager. According to court documents, the priest, Fr. Andrew Ronan, had admitted to sexually abusing a boy in the Archdiocese of Benburb, Ireland. He was transferred by church officials to the all-boys St. Philips High School in Chicago, where he later admitted to sexually abusing three boys. Church officials then transferred Ronan to St. Albans Church in Portland, Ore. That’s where he allegedly sexually abused Doe.

For the Vatican Taliban it's always about defending their power and their money.