Vatican orders former archbishop to stand trial for sex abuse

[Little Tich]

Source: Yahoo! News / Reuters

VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Jozef Wesolowski, a former archbishop and papal ambassador to the Dominican Republic, will stand trial on criminal charges of paying for sex with minors and possessing child pornography, the Vatican said on Monday.

The trial, due to start on July 11, will be the first on such charges inside the tiny city-state that is the headquarters of the 1.2 billion-member Roman Catholic Church.

Vatican sources said the decision by the president of the Vatican's tribunal to indict Wesolowski could not have been taken without a green light from Pope Francis. They said it was another sign of the pontiff's intention to get tough on sex abuse by clergy.

Wesolowski's trial will be the highest profile judicial event in the Vatican since Paolo Gabriele, a former papal butler, was convicted in 2012 of stealing and leaking private papers of former Pope Benedict XVI. He was convicted and later pardoned by Benedict.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/vatican-orders-former-archbishop-stand-trial-sex-abuse-105015995.html

[Kalidurga]

1. They can have the one from Minneapolis/St.Paul too.

I forget his name and I don't care to look up that filth.

[dflprincess]

3. John Nienstedt

The Vatican announced his resignation today. According to someone wise to how the church works, the fact the announcement came out of Rome not St. Paul pretty much signals that the Pope decided Nienstedt should go.

No one is sorry about it. Besides covering up abuse (which is, by far, the worse thing he did) he's also shut down a couple of the more liberal parishes in the diocese by replacing liberal priests with really conservative ones. Technically the parishes remain open but attendance has dropped.

Then there was the anti-same sex marriage DVD that was sent to all Catholics in the Diocese (that were enrolled at a parish). They were quite surprised at the number that were "returned to sender" and the drop in donations to the annual bishop's drive (or whatever it's called all dioceses have one).

Pope Benedict appointed him because it was thought the last two bishops were "too liberal" and someone needed to get St. Paul under control. Though he denies it, everything Nienstedt did he did thinking it would help him be made a cardinal. Then Benedict resigned and Francis came in. Poor Nienstedt (not really) he'll be lucky if the worse thing that happens to him is he winds up in a remote monastery contemplating the sins of pride and arrogance.

[Kalidurga]

5. I think he should be prosecuted.

If he already is forgive me for not knowing. I have had it up to my eyeballs in sex abuse cases this past couple of weeks and it's been very energy draining.

[glinda]

6. Yes the pinpointed Church closures were horrible for the parishioners and bad for the Church.

Neinstedt was a blight upon Catholicism in MN. I do wonder if his stepping down will pardon him from the inquisition though. I felt this was coming. BOOM!

[niyad]

2. one out of how many?

[Major Nikon]

4. More than he can shake his golden papal stick at