>>I wasn't aware that insulting the Pope can result in a prison sentence for up to 5 years...
>>
>>http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/europe/article4732048.ece
>
>Seems to me that the key line in that article is "the 1929 Lateran Treaty between Italy and the Vatican, which stipulates that an insult to the Pope carries the same penalty as an insult to the Italian President."
>
>Why is there any legal penalty for insulting the Italian president? Why is there any legal penalty for insulting any world leader?

I guess the year explains a lot. And that the law was never too important to change back to something normal - probably one that wasn't used at all... but came handy when needed.

Reminds me of an anecdote from mid-70s: a corporal in the Italian army was a real shouting corporal, boot camp style, and he annoyed one of the soldiers to the extent that he said to the corporal "you're a real Pinochet!".

Nothing happened, the soldier has just likened the corporal with a president of a country with which Italy had friendly relations.