"Vatican Puts Ex-Dominican Envoy Under House Arrest"

[TexasProgresive]

VATICAN CITY — Sep 23, 2014, 7:40 PM ET
By NICOLE WINFIELD Associated Press


snip:
The Vatican put its former ambassador to the Dominican Republic under house arrest Tuesday after opening a criminal trial against him, the first time a high-ranking Vatican official has ever faced criminal charges for sexually abusing youngsters.

Josef Wesolowski had already been defrocked in June after the Vatican's canon law court found him guilty of abuse and imposed its toughest penalty under church law: laicization, or returning to life as a layman.

snip:
The Holy See recalled the Polish-born Wesolowski in August, 2013 after the archbishop of Santo Domingo told Pope Francis about rumors that Wesolowski had sexually abused teenage boys in the Caribbean country. Prosecutors there say he allegedly paid boys to masturbate.

Dominican authorities opened an investigation, but declined initially to press charges since the Vatican had said Wesolowski enjoyed diplomatic immunity. Polish prosecutors as well opened an investigation.
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory/vatican-puts-dominican-envoy-house-arrest-25706793

[trotsky]

1. "the first time a high-ranking Vatican official has ever faced criminal charges..."

FIRST TIME! And that right there is what makes the Catholic sex abuse scandals so bad. The institutional coverup - and total lack of prosecution for these horrible crimes.

"...but declined initially to press charges since the Vatican had said Wesolowski enjoyed diplomatic immunity"

No church should ever enjoy "diplomatic immunity." What a joke. How many lives were hurt?

[rug]

2. And if he weren't arrested, you'd be typing NO ARRESTS!

[Goblinmonger]

4. If Dawkins tweeted what you just wrote,

you and others in the forum would be going off about how horrible he is, and how he doesn't understand sexual abuse, and how he should just stop.

Perhaps you may want to reflect on how your "witty" comeback actually comes across as diminishing the seriousness of the issue. Because I don't think you really mean that.

[rug]

8. I seriously doubt that. It doesn't come close to Dawkins tweeting about drunken rape victims.

What occurs in your mind does not necessarily comport with reality.

[cbayer]

3. Good move.

I wonder if they thought he might be a flight risk.

[Cartoonist]

5. A slap on the wrist

its toughest penalty under church law: laicization, or returning to life as a layman.
-
Ooh, I bet that hurts. The nuns I sat before gave me harder punishments than that. How about turning him and the evidence over to the authorities?

[mr blur]

6. Not the traditional RCC way.

Anyway, people might think that religion had some connection with this which, as many round here will tell you, it quite obviously did not.

[cbayer]

10. I would love to see you put up any evidence that supports your lame accusation that there

are "many round here" who will say this has no connection with the church.

[TexasProgresive]

7. The only penalty under "church" law. Vatican state law is another thing.

snip:Judicial functions are delegated to a supreme court, an appellate court, a tribunal (Tribunal of Vatican City State), and a trial judge. At the Vatican's request, sentences imposed can be served in Italy (see the section on crime, below)

snip:Under the terms of article 22 the Lateran Treaty,[86] Italy will, at the request of the Holy See, punish individuals for crimes committed within Vatican City and will itself proceed against the person who committed the offence, if that person takes refuge in Italian territory. Persons accused of crimes recognized as such both in Italy and in Vatican City that are committed in Italian territory will be handed over to the Italian authorities if they take refuge in Vatican City or in buildings that under the treaty enjoy immunity.[86][87]

Vatican City has no prison system, apart from a few detention cells for pre-trial detention.[88] People convicted of committing crimes in the Vatican serve terms in Italian prisons (Polizia Penitenziaria), with costs covered by the Vatican.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vatican_City#Governance

Saturday, July 13th 2013 - 15:57 UTC
Francis sweeping reforms to Vatican legal system include from child abuse to money laundering

Pope Francis is introducing changes to the Vatican legal system and has announced reforms on laws governing child abuse to penalties for staff who leak confidential information. The latest overhaul of the Holy See comes after years of scandals which have damaged the image of the Catholic Church.

snip:The changes, which will take effect on September 1, would classify sexual violence and sexual acts against children, child prostitution and pornography under crimes against minors. They could carry a 12 year jail sentence.

snip:“Of particular note in this context is the introduction of the crime of torture and a broader definition of the category of crimes against minors (including: the sale of children, child prostitution, the recruitment of children, sexual violence and sexual acts with children, and the production and possession of child pornography).
http://en.mercopress.com/2013/07/13/francis-sweeping-reforms-to-vatican-legal-system-include-from-child-abuse-to-money-laundering

[cbayer]

9. You may want to read the article.

What is happening here is much more serious than just defrocking him. That was the punishment from the canon court.

He is now undergoing criminal prosecution by the Vatican city/state courts. They are the authorities and the evidence has been turned over to them. The result of this will likely be incarceration.

And the result of being defrocked is that he has lost his diplomatic immunity and can (and probably will) be extradited to face charges elsewhere.

In your rush to condemn the RCC, you have made some very critical errors. I'm not sure that there is anything they could do that they are not doing.