Put the pope in prison

Unless you're a liberal in a constant state of secluded ejaculation over the recent takeover of American citizens' health, you've seen the scores of stories about how the Roman Catholic church's hierarchy has for decades (actually centuries) been covering up the rape and abuse of little Catholic boys and girls by its clergy all across the world.

Bishops, arch-bishops and cardinals have been "quietly" handling the abuse "in-house" to prevent scandal and to protect the church's reputation, ahem. The crack in the dam began in the 1990s with one man's brave public exposure of the abuse he suffered at the hands of one pernicious clergyman, who raped the boy consistently for years. (One Milwaukee reverend is accused of sexually abusing 200 deaf boys.) Since then, hundreds (or perhaps thousands) of others have come out of the Catholic closet to attest to the same tawdry acts by people they were supposed to trust.

In nearly every case, the Catholic hierarchy covered up, simply relocating the pedophiles or demoting them or quietly asking them to leave the church. This is criminal behavior and must be treated as such.

In the last few days, new information printed in The New York Times shows that the current pope himself, Joseph Ratzinger, was in charge of oversight operations for these types of sordid acts. In fact, he did not report the Milwaukee reverend to police, instead letting the egregious abuse slip quietly into the mystic night.

If a corporation were to be as dismissive and secretive about such abuse within its ranks, worldwide outrage would be deafening. Police, the FBI and governments everywhere would be dedicating immense resources to uncover the complicity. Denunciations would be pervasive. Computer files, documents and other evidence would be confiscated for prosecution.

Yet we hear very little from governments (themselves horribly corrupt). We hear no demands that the pope now turn himself over to police. We hear no threats to apprehend the pope and his robed minions across the globe.

The Vatican considers itself a sovereign nation -- and so did Iraq. But look what we did to Saddam Hussein, who wasn't even abusing our little boys. The United States must immediately send armed forces to apprehend the pope, try him in a court of law and, if convicted, put the execrable son-of-a-bitch in prison with the worst elements of American society.

Do it now -- before more young boys and girls suffer under the mystic cloud of medieval acts.