Ontario police have issued an arrest warrant for Monsignor Bernard Prince, 71, former secretary general for the Pontifical Society for the Propagation of the Faith and a friend of the late Pope John Paul II. The warrant stems from allegations of sexual abuse by a man who went to police months ago about abuse that occurred in the late 1960’s when the victim was an altar boy at an Upper Ottawa Valley parish. Presently, the priest is retired and living in Rome. It’s not clear yet whether the priest will return voluntarily to Canada to face the charges. If past history is any indicator, he will remain in Rome under the protection of the church. According to Rick Romely, a former Arizona prosecutor who has urged Vatican officials to apply pressure to a number of priests wanted in the US, the church has been uncooperative in the past.
Canada has an extradition treaty with Italy but not with Vatican City, which is its own separate state and is not subject to the same laws as Italy.