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The article reports that Archbishop Jozef Wesolowski, a former Vatican ambassador to the Dominican Republic, has been defrocked after being convicted of child sexual abuse, announced in July 2014.

The article reports on the discovery of letters issued in the 1950s between Pope Paul VI and priest Gerald Fitzgerald of the order of the Servants of the Paraclete regarding the dangers of pedophilia by priests. Fitzgerald's comments asserting the need to defrock and isolate problem priests are cited. Additional notes are given regarding the interpretation of the letters as proof that the clerical abuse problems of the later 20th-century were long-term.

The article provides information on a defrocked priest. It refers to a priest who lost his sacramental faculties due to laicization and financial support of his diocese or order. Laicization can be imposed through the request of the priest or by penalty and performed by the Holy See. Priests charged with sexual abuse are placed on leave while the investigation takes place and can be removed permanently from the ministry if found guilty.