Cases filed against the pope and Manila archbishop

Manila: A controversial Filipino Muslim leader has filed a criminal case against Pope Benedict XVI and Manila Archbishop Gaudencio Rosales, a belated report said.

Elly Pamatong filed a 50-page complaint at the Manila Prosecutor's office on Tuesday, saying the pope and the Manila archbishop should be chastised for human rights violations, international swindling, and immoral doctrines.

He alleged that both the pope and the Manila Archbishop were guilty of disrupting the peace of non-Catholics by holding "tools of terror harassment."

He referred to earlier statements from the Church about the disturbance of "peace and quiet of non-Catholics".

Pamatong also claimed that the pope was a ringleader of an international swindling syndicate that collects trillions of dollars from the faithful. He did not give details.

He identified Rosales as the pontiff's local counterpart in the Philippines. Pamatong also accused the two spiritual leaders of teaching immoral doctrines and "dogmas" by citing historical and scientific inconsistencies of stories in the Bible.

In response, the Manila archdiocese said it will be up to the prosecutor's office to "determine the merits" of the case against the cardinal.

The office of the papal nuncio, the Vatican's representative to the Philippines, has not yet issued an official reaction to Pamatong.