By TOM RAYNER - SKY NEWS
Added: Thu, 22 Jul 2010 21:40:33 UTC

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The Government has moved to prevent the possibility of an arrest warrant being issued against the Pope during his state visit this autumn.

The Government wants to avoid diplomatic embarrassment
Sky News understands that Whitehall officials have been "seriously concerned" that campaigners would use international criminal rules to try to detain the Pontiff while he is in the UK.

Richard Dawkins, Christopher Hitchens and human rights lawyer Geoffrey Robertson QC were among those campaigners reported to be looking at the options for bringing a private prosecution in relation to the Pope's alleged cover-up of sexual abuse in the Catholic Church.

Now Justice Secretary Ken Clarke has proposed changes to the rules on universal jurisdiction, a law that allows individuals to be prosecuted in the UK for serious offences such as war crimes, crimes against humanity and torture even if they were carried out abroad.

Justice Secretary Clarke to limit foreign leaders being brought to UK courts
The plans would mean the Director of Public Prosecutions would need to give his consent to any arrest warrant issued under universal jurisdiction.

This would effectively mean taking that power out of the hands of the courts.

Ministers say the current rules are open to abuse because the evidence required to get a warrant is far below the threshold that would be needed to bring a prosecution.
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TAGGED: LAW, POLITICS, RELIGION