Vatican IV: What's wrong with this picture?

Another story about a sexually abusive priest. This time it was a sexual assault on a 14 year old girl, and then a second case of a teenage girl, with criminal charges, against the same priest. He's also accused of stealing church funds.

This time, it happened in Minnesota, and the priest was from India. It was six years ago. The priest was reassigned back in his native India and reportedly has no contact with young people.

The prosecutor of the MN case is trying to get him extradicted to face charges. The Vatican says it has "cooperated" by giving them the current address of the priest.

A spokesman says that the Vatican had recommended that the priest be laicized (defrocked = kicked out of the priesthood), but that they leave the decision up to the local bishop, who is in a better position to know what is most suitable in the particular case.

This local bishop -- the one in India, not the one in Minnesota -- says that "the priest says he is innocent, so what can I do?"

Here's what's wrong with this picture:

1. We are talking about crimes. Crimes are handled by police and prosecutors and tried before judges and juries -- not treated as sins to be confessed and forgiven. They can do that too, but the criminal investigation is not theirs to do -- and escape from punishment is not theirs to grant.

2. In the above case, the bishop who has been delegated the decision about this priest's fate is the bishop in India, not the one where the crime was committed. The Vatican washes its hands of responsibility -- responsibility it did not have in the first place. It recommended, but it leaves it to "the local bishop to decide." And the local bishop throws up his hands and says, "what can I do?"

WHAT???? The Vatican can tell its billions of adherents worldwide that they can't use any form of birth control and that women have no choice in their own reproductive decisions? They tell men in Africa not to use condoms to prevent spreading the HIV virus? They can send a priest from India to work in Minnesota, and when he causes trouble send him back to India?

But they have no authority to kick a sexual criminal out of the priesthood or to report him to the local police?

Sorry, guys. That is bullshit.

Ralph