Vatican: Former diplomat who abused children could face extradition

[hrmjustin]

David Gibson

(RNS) The Vatican said Monday (Aug. 25) that its former ambassador to the Dominican Republic, who was defrocked in June for sexually abusing children in the Carribean nation, has also been stripped of his diplomatic immunity and could face extradition once he has exhausted his appeals in the church courts.

The Vatican’s decision to quietly recall Jozef Wesolowski to Rome last year to face charges there rather than in the Dominican Republic, prompted an outcry and, critics said, undermined Pope Francis’ vow to get tough on clerical abusers no matter who they are.

The Wesolowski saga was recounted in detail on Sunday in a front-page story in the New York Times, which prompted a response late Monday from the Vatican’s chief spokesman, who insisted there was no cover-up and that the Vatican had acted “without delay and correctly.”

The Rev. Federico Lombardi said that Francis has been “duly and carefully informed” of the status of the Wesolowski case and wants to address it “justly and rigorously.”

http://www.religionnews.com/2014/08/25/vatican-former-diplomat-abused-children-face-extradition/

[cbayer]

1. Good, I hope they follow through with this.

He needs to return and face criminal charges/

[hrmjustin]

2. I agree.

[hrmjustin]

3. Polish diplomat raises extradition for Vatican official accused of sex abuse

Josephine McKenna

VATICAN CITY (RNS) Poland’s ambassador to the Holy See has forcefully condemned the alleged sexual abuse of children by a Polish-born former archbishop and Vatican diplomat, and said Warsaw is considering a fresh request to extradite Jozef Wesolowski to face trial in his homeland.

Ambassador Piotr Nowina-Konopka said Wednesday (Aug. 27) the Polish government was reviewing its options after the Vatican announced this week that the former papal envoy to the Dominican Republic had been defrocked and no longer had diplomatic immunity.

“We are currently analyzing the situation regarding immunity,” the ambassador told Religion News Service in remarks that were unusually frank for a diplomat, and especially one from a country that is as strongly Catholic as Poland.

http://www.religionnews.com/2014/08/27/polish-diplomat-raises-extradition-vatican-official-accused-sex-abuse/