Oh someone in Vatican City isn't thinking this one out very well. For it to come to this though, they must have simply given up on meaningfully cleaning out the priesthood of perverts and pedophiles. This suggests they are looking forward to future cases and how to survive the next waves in the distant future.

What I consider terribly short sighted though is how this leaves matters for victims of molestation by a member of Clergy. If the legal system denies them remedy for such a deep and terrible wrong, it doesn't bode well for what other avenues a victim will seek to achieve the same feeling of doing something about it. What a foolish thing to do in an effort to save money in settling cases.

I'll never understand why the Church doesn't just take a total and non-negotiable 0 tolerance policy on victimizing anyone in the congregation, in ANY way. Money, Sex or just abuse of position in personal situations. It seems that cleaning out their own staff would be a far more logical step than going through such great effort to dodge the consequences as they just assume it'll keep happening.

If they are not emplyees, then they are not paid by the RC church and do not represent the Pope. Therefore, surely, they cannot profess to spread the word of God on behalf of the RC and therefore, as I see it, they are not priests.

Please correct me if I am wrong.