# The RCC now has zero tolerance for child abuse. Well, except...
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rcc-now-has-zero-tolerance-for-child-abuse-well-except/696492
**Category:** The BBQ Pit
**Created:** [August 25, 2014, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rcc-now-has-zero-tolerance-for-child-abuse-well-except/696492 "2014-08-25T20:11:28Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2014, 8:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rcc-now-has-zero-tolerance-for-child-abuse-well-except/696492/1 "2014-08-25T20:11:28Z")
This has been in the news in the Dominican Republic for a while now, but it was easy to ignore the local media, let’s see if a little article in the [NY Times](http://www.nytimes.com/2014/08/24/world/americas/whisked-away-vatican-ambassador-accused-of-sexual-abuse-of-minors.html?hp&action=click&pgtype=Homepage&version=HpSumSmallMedia&module=first-column-region®ion=top-news&WT.nav=top-news&_r=1&gwh=58618C13DB54D83B74F53627F7C28252&gwt=pay&assetType=nyt_now) helps get the word out. Here’s the deal:
Two polish priests are caught abusing children (they even helped each other). As it happens one of those was the Vatican ambassador to the DR. Once word started getting out the lowly priest fled back to Poland (and to Poland’s credit, he was convicted there), the ambassador was “recalled” back to the Vatican, where he was defrocked, and is apparently doing some tourism about town. The Vatican asserted his diplomatic immunity in advance of any effort to extradite him. The Vatican plans (one hopes) to indict him there. No word on how they’ll do that, seeing as the victims are all back in the DR.
That article has so much slime you’ll need a shower after reading it. The best part: he had sex with a minor with Parkinsons in exchange for medication to control his condition. Such a generous guy.
Please notice the reaction of our local head creep, the Cardinal. Another upstanding citizen only fit as meat for hyenas.
> [@](#):
>
> The deacon sent copies of the letter to Cardinal Nicolas de Jesus López Rodriguez, the head of the church in the Dominican Republic, and to a Dominican bishop, Gregorio Nicanor Peña Rodríguez. The cardinal then carried the evidence to the Vatican, where he met directly with Pope Francis, according to interviews with the Dominican authorities. On Aug. 21 last year, Mr. Wesolowski was secretly recalled to Rome.
>
> Six days later, the cardinal called the papal nuncio “a great friend and promoter of peace.”
Sometimes I hate humanity.
---
### Author:  [@PastTense](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PastTense)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2014, 9:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rcc-now-has-zero-tolerance-for-child-abuse-well-except/696492/2 "2014-08-25T21:02:18Z")
Discussed in existing thread:
> **[Has "Nice" New Pope Made Media Stop Caring About Pedophile Priests?](https://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=714202)**
>
> For very good and very obvious reasons, the media devoted a lot of air time and a lot of ink to the scandal of pedophile Catholic priests during the years that Benedict XVI was Pope. But quick- when’s the last time you saw a lengthy newspaper piece...
---
### Author:  [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2014, 9:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rcc-now-has-zero-tolerance-for-child-abuse-well-except/696492/3 "2014-08-25T21:11:17Z")
Oops, I must be really bad at searching, I couldn’t find any thread about it. Can somebody summon a friendly mod to move my post there, please? I am not sure how to do that, maybe some kind of incantation.
---
### Author:  [@The\_Second\_Stone](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Second_Stone)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2014, 9:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rcc-now-has-zero-tolerance-for-child-abuse-well-except/696492/4 "2014-08-25T21:19:39Z")
This would be a good opportunity for the Vatican to withdraw his diplomatic immunity for this offense and have him extradited when the request is made.
The Pope cannot directly do anything official to the Cardinal, who according to my understanding of Catholic law, is the top authority in his sovereign diocese, but he can send a note and release it to the public stating that this matter should be taken care of by local laws and that it would be appreciated that either sides right to a fair trial should not be influenced by the former priests powerful friends.
---
### Author:  [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2014, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rcc-now-has-zero-tolerance-for-child-abuse-well-except/696492/5 "2014-08-25T21:26:43Z")
> [@Mighty\_Girl](#):
>
> Oops, I must be really bad at searching, I couldn’t find any thread about it. Can somebody summon a friendly mod to move my post there, please? I am not sure how to do that, maybe some kind of incantation.
Let’s not be too hasty. Don’t you have some things you’d like to say here in The BBQ Pit about the situation that might not be appropriate in Great Debates? 😃
---
### Author:  [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2014, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rcc-now-has-zero-tolerance-for-child-abuse-well-except/696492/6 "2014-08-25T21:55:16Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#):
>
> Let’s not be too hasty. Don’t you have some things you’d like to say here in The BBQ Pit about the situation that might not be appropriate in Great Debates? 😃
Yeah, this motherfucker is right.
😉
---
### Author:  [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)
#### Post date: [August 25, 2014, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rcc-now-has-zero-tolerance-for-child-abuse-well-except/696492/7 "2014-08-25T22:01:59Z")
FTR, I grew up Catholic, even attended Catholic school for 12 years. Growing up the word in the streets is that “all” priests had mistresses, even kids, never heard a word about child abuse.
This has shaken DR Catholics something fierce (about time), the level of slime in the local church has become evident to anyone with two eyes. This doesn’t lower my opinion of the local RCC by much though. It was very low already.
---
### Author:  [@OttoDaFe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/OttoDaFe)
#### Post date: [August 26, 2014, 2:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rcc-now-has-zero-tolerance-for-child-abuse-well-except/696492/8 "2014-08-26T02:01:54Z")
> [@The\_Second\_Stone](#):
>
> This would be a good opportunity for the Vatican to withdraw his diplomatic immunity for this offense and have him extradited when the request is made.
>
> The Pope cannot directly do anything official to the Cardinal, who according to my understanding of Catholic law, is the top authority in his sovereign diocese, but he can send a note and release it to the public stating that this matter should be taken care of by local laws and that it would be appreciated that either sides right to a fair trial should not be influenced by the former priests powerful friends.
Admittedly there’s a fair amount of nuance in [this](http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/aug/25/vatican-ambassador-diplomatic-immunity-josef-wesolowski) article, but on the surface it appears that Wesolowski has been stripped of his immunity and could well be on his way back to the DR in the not-too-distant future. He’s currently appealing a tribunal decision to defrock him, and after that’s decided (October?) he’ll be facing a Vatican criminal court.
The article also mentions that it’s not unusual to recall a diplomat who is facing legal difficulties, and cites a recent incident where the US removed an official who had killed a man in a traffic accident in Kenya. Granted that the Vatican would be well advised to go above&beyond where pedophilia is concerned, but it’s not (necessarily) further evidence of coverup.
---
### Author:  [@muldoonthief](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/muldoonthief)
#### Post date: [August 26, 2014, 1:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rcc-now-has-zero-tolerance-for-child-abuse-well-except/696492/9 "2014-08-26T13:31:40Z")
> [@Czarcasm](#):
>
> Let’s not be too hasty. Don’t you have some things you’d like to say here in The BBQ Pit about the situation that might not be appropriate in Great Debates? 😃
Yeah, keep this thread open in case the usual suspects start falling over themselves explaining how by the exact wording of criminal and canon law, no one involved, except possibly the victims, did anything wrong.
---
### Author:  [@DeepLiquid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeepLiquid)
#### Post date: [August 26, 2014, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rcc-now-has-zero-tolerance-for-child-abuse-well-except/696492/10 "2014-08-26T13:44:53Z")
In the early 60’s my brother wasn’t allowed to be alone in the same room with my priest uncle, everyone knew he was a piece of shit pedophile, but he was still revered by most of the family and his parishioners. I enjoyed the day his name appeared in the Boston Globe (posthumously) alone with the rest of the pedos.
---
### Author:  [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)
#### Post date: [August 26, 2014, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rcc-now-has-zero-tolerance-for-child-abuse-well-except/696492/11 "2014-08-26T13:48:26Z")
Ok, latest news are that Weselowski has had his immunity revoked and once his appeal in the Vatican is resolved, he would be subject to extradition.
---
### Author:  [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)
#### Post date: [August 26, 2014, 2:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rcc-now-has-zero-tolerance-for-child-abuse-well-except/696492/12 "2014-08-26T14:05:54Z")
If the Pope ordered the Swiss Guard to chop off the cardinal’s head, would there be any legal grounds to stop him?
(Knowing Catholic history, I’m sure there are precedents).
---
### Author:  [@Captain\_Amazing](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Captain_Amazing)
#### Post date: [August 26, 2014, 2:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rcc-now-has-zero-tolerance-for-child-abuse-well-except/696492/13 "2014-08-26T14:17:21Z")
Capital punishment’s been illegal in the Vatican since 1969, and before that, the only capital crime was attempting to assassinate the pope.
---
### Author:  [@Really\_Not\_All\_That\_Bright](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Really_Not_All_That_Bright)
#### Post date: [August 26, 2014, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rcc-now-has-zero-tolerance-for-child-abuse-well-except/696492/14 "2014-08-26T15:32:20Z")
Did the Vatican ever try Bernard Law?
---
### Author:  [@YogSothoth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/YogSothoth)
#### Post date: [August 26, 2014, 3:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rcc-now-has-zero-tolerance-for-child-abuse-well-except/696492/15 "2014-08-26T15:40:51Z")
Attempting to? But not if they were successful?
---
### Author:  [@Mighty\_Girl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mighty_Girl)
#### Post date: [August 26, 2014, 4:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rcc-now-has-zero-tolerance-for-child-abuse-well-except/696492/16 "2014-08-26T16:42:01Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#):
>
> Ok, latest news are that Weselowski has had his immunity revoked and once his appeal in the Vatican is resolved, he would be subject to extradition.
I am only ever slightly suspicious that they reveal this right after the NY times article and as a follow up to The Guardian.
---
### Author:  [@Shodan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shodan)
#### Post date: [August 26, 2014, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rcc-now-has-zero-tolerance-for-child-abuse-well-except/696492/17 "2014-08-26T16:47:39Z")
> [@Alessan](#):
>
> If the Pope ordered the Swiss Guard to chop off the cardinal’s head, would there be any legal grounds to stop him?
>
> (Knowing Catholic history, I’m sure there are precedents).
The only new legal requirement is that the resultant video has to be posted to YouTube.
Regards,
Shodan
---
### Author:  [@elucidator](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elucidator)
#### Post date: [August 26, 2014, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rcc-now-has-zero-tolerance-for-child-abuse-well-except/696492/18 "2014-08-26T17:11:02Z")
**Shodan** made a funny. I’m ready now, Jesus. Nothing left to see after that…
---
### Author:  [@Alessan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alessan)
#### Post date: [August 26, 2014, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rcc-now-has-zero-tolerance-for-child-abuse-well-except/696492/19 "2014-08-26T17:17:00Z")
> [@Captain\_Amazing](#):
>
> Capital punishment’s been illegal in the Vatican since 1969, and before that, the only capital crime was attempting to assassinate the pope.
Is the Pope subject to the law?
---
### Author:  [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)
#### Post date: [August 26, 2014, 5:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rcc-now-has-zero-tolerance-for-child-abuse-well-except/696492/20 "2014-08-26T17:26:32Z")
> [@Alessan](#):
>
> Is the Pope subject to the law?
I’d like to see a video of the Pope personally chopping the head off this pedophile cardinal with a Swiss halbred - presimably, while chasing him around the Vatican.
As long as the soundtrack is _Yackety Sax_. 😃
[Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/the-rcc-now-has-zero-tolerance-for-child-abuse-well-except/696492.md?page=2)