InfoVaticana, a conservative Spanish website harshly critical of Pope Francis, has been embroiled in a legal battle with Vatican Secretary of State, Cardinal Pietro Parolin.
Cardinal Parolin sent a request several months ago to Infovaticana to renounce their web domain, claiming that the Vatican has exclusive property rights over the name of the physical center of the Catholic world."
In response, InfoVaticana stated: "This is a political prosecution because we talk about corruption in the Spanish Episcopal Conference," he added.
At least two other news sites use the word "Vatican" in their titles and domain name: Inside the Vatican, and Vatican Insider. There is also Vatican.com, privately owned and unaffiliated with the Vatican. And a cryptic website with explicit language operates with the domain name the-vaticancity.com. All of these are allowed to operate freely without the threat of lawsuits by the Holy See.
According to InfoVaticana, "the Spanish Episcopal Conference does not like what we say" — which includes exposing clerical corruption. Although it allows websites like Religion Digital to promote heterodox content, "It seems, for our bishops, the doctrinal dissidence is not as serious as denouncing abuses of the clergy."
Cardinal Ricardo Blázquez filed a complaint against InfoVaticana last year with the Apostolic Nuncio.
The Secretary of State afterwards secured the help of Baker & MacKenzie, one of the world's largest and most prestigious law firms, to demand transfer of InfoVaticana's domain name to the Vatican within seven days, or else face "a very expensive lawsuit."
Spokespersons for InfoVaticana stated that they offered a compromise solution, asking to retain the domain name while giving up the Papal Keys logo and making clear "the private and independent nature" of the blog and that it has no relationship with the Vatican other than as a portal for news coming from Rome.
The answer was emphatic: the demands of the Vatican, defended by Baker & McKenzie, are non-negotiable and the InfoVaticana blog must be terminated.
In the most recent communication with InfoVaticana, Cardinal Parolin has extended the grace period to six months for InfoVaticana to make arrangements to hand over its domain name.
The case currently lies before the Spanish Patent and Trademark Office, where the Vatican filed its complaint.
The lawsuit is strangely curious for a number of reasons, not the least of which is the fact that Baker & MacKenzie is well known for the promotion of homosexuality, and even represented the abortion giant, Planned Parenthood.
In August of last year, Baker & McKenzie’s office in Belfast, Ireland partnered with the homosexual group “Cara-Friend” to fund its “LGBTQ+ Awareness Teacher Training program.” James Richards, the Executive Director of Baker & McKenzie’s Belfast office said: “We believe that no-one should be put at a disadvantage, professionally, financially or socially, on the basis of who they are. Here in Belfast, we set up our LGBT network just over a year ago and we are thrilled to be sponsoring Cara-Friend’s Awareness Teacher programme, to help influence our future leaders to respect and support all lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people in Northern Ireland.”
In September of last year, Baker & McKenzie’s London office implemented “Gender Transition Guidelines.” Following the implementation of the Firm’s “North America Gender Transition and Identity Guidelines,” the London Office guidelines are intended to: “support transitioning employees and ensure that the Firm, and all relevant managers and employees, support individuals through their transition. This includes, for example, a Workplace Transition Plan which provides a framework for the transitioning individual, their line manager and HR to follow.”
In December of 2017, Baker & McKenzie advised the homosexual group called “Stonewall” as it fought against what it called an “ultra-orthodox Charedi Jewish Community.”
Baker & McKenzie’s statement says that the case was about “the right of a transgender woman to have direct contact with her children who belong to the ultra-orthodox Charedi Jewish Community. The case raised the questions of human rights and discrimination, in evaluating a child’s welfare.”
In 2016, Baker & McKenzie was named “Best Place to Work for LGBT Equality” by the Human Rights Campaign.
Moreover, the Secretary of State’s argument that the crossed keys used in InfoVaticana’s application for its trademarked logo is a violation of the Vatican’s intellectual property in the form of “State Symbols.” is rather ingenuous.
Such argumentation would imply that any portion of the formal symbols representing Vatican City (the Cross, the keys, a tassel, a gold and white flag) are prohibited from use by any entity without express permission from the Vatican.
If this is actually the case, then the Vatican would need to pursue lawsuits against the following as well: The Society of the Crossed Keys, Prime Real Estate of Florida, Metro Local Locksmith,
Cross Keys Animal Hospital, The Cross Keys Inn and York Minster.
There seems hardly a day passes by that the Holy See does not see itself immersed in yet another controversy.
It will be interesting to see how this dispute is eventually resolved and what the reaction will be to having hired Baker & MacKenzie to represent the Holy See.
No comments:
Post a Comment