Pope to Catholic jurists: Respect basic human rights

By NICOLE WINFIELD
Associated Press

ROME (AP) — Pope Francis has told Catholic jurists that they must strongly defend basic human rights in their work, even as his own prosecutors stand accused of violating the basic rights of the defense in a big Vatican fraud trial. Francis met Friday with Italian Catholic jurists. He said recognizing and protecting the rights of the weakest in a court setting doesn’t stem from a governing concession, but rather a recognition of the dignity that every human being enjoys.  His comments came as the Vatican trial of 10 people, including a cardinal, is poised to resume next week amid fresh defense arguments that prosecutors violated basic rights of the defendants.