THE HAGUE, Netherlands (CNS) — Several victims of clerical sexual abuse, a United States-based organisation for survivors and a US-based human rights organisation have asked the International Criminal Court to investigate Pope Benedict XVI and other top Vatican officials on charges they bear responsibility for the abuse of children by Catholic priests.

The Survivors Network of those Abused by Priests and their attorneys from the Center for Constitutional Rights, a New York-based organisation, presented their petition to the court on September 13, they announced in a press release.

The Vatican press office declined to comment.

The petition alleges that “Vatican officials tolerate and enable the systematic and widespread concealing of rape and child sex crimes throughout the world”.

The petition claims the Church leaders who bear “the greatest responsibility” for cases of clerical sexual abuse are Pope Benedict, both as Pope and as the previous prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith; Cardinal Angelo Sodano, dean of the College of Cardinals and former Vatican secretary of state; Cardinal Tarcisio Bertone, secretary of state and former secretary of the doctrinal congregation; and Cardinal William J. Levada, current prefect of the congregation.

The court is a treaty-based tribunal founded by member states to bring to justice those who commit the most serious crimes of concern to the international community. It is not part of the United Nations system, although it has accepted cases referred by the United Nations.

The Holy See is not one of the court’s 117 member states and the court claims no jurisdiction over states that are not members, although it could possibly act because the cases of abuse occurred in member states. The United States is not a member of the court.