VATICAN CITY
National Catholic Reporter
David Gibson Religion News Service | Aug. 25, 2014
As Pope Francis tries to reshape the Catholic church’s response to the clergy sex abuse crisis, the case of Jozef Wesolowski, the former nuncio — or Vatican ambassador — to the Dominican Republic has drawn close scrutiny, most recently in a Sunday New York Times article that detailed the former archbishop’s predations.
The story also recounted how Wesolowski was brought back to the Vatican to face charges there rather than in the Dominican Republic because he had diplomatic immunity, an argument that sounded legalistic to many and could undermine the pontiff’s “get tough” stance.
Late Monday, the Vatican responded with a statement explaining that since Wesolowski was defrocked in June, he is no longer an archbishop nor is he a Vatican diplomat and when his appeals are exhausted he “might also be subjected to judicial procedures from the courts that could have specific jurisdiction over him.”
What that could mean for Wesolowski is unclear. It’s not known whether the Vatican has an extradition agreement with the Dominican Republic (or Wesolowski’s native Poland) or whether Italy could try or extradite him. The former archbishop has been spotted by fellow Dominican prelates strolling around Rome’s historic district.
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