Bring pope to court, victims say

The Vatican's U.S. lawyer, Jeffrey Lena, called the complaint a "ludicrous publicity stunt and a misuse of international judicial processes."

The complaint names Pope Benedict XVI, partly in his former role as leader of the Vatican's Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, which in 2001 explicitly gained responsibility for overseeing abuse cases; Cardinal William Levada, who now leads that office; Cardinal Angelo Sodano, the Vatican secretary of state under Pope John Paul II; and Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, who now holds that post.

Attorneys for the victims say rape, sexual violence, and torture are considered crimes against humanity as described in the international treaty that spells out the court's mandate.

Barbara Blaine, president of the U.S.-based Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests, said going to the court was a last resort. "We have tried everything we could think of to get them to stop and they won't," she said.

The odds against the court opening an inquiry are enormous. Also, the Holy See is not a member state of the court, meaning prosecutors have no automatic jurisdiction there.