My problem with what you are saying is this....if our Pres. can call a police officer who supposedl called another a bad name, to the white house for a chit chat, and he is in charge of an entire country, then there is no reason why the vatican leadership could not have handled this ASP..and to have known of this within the church he presides over.
Get this straight. The pope is the head of the Catholic Church which includes about a billion people, and is a few thousand of the 400-600,000 priests and nuns. Furthermore, since the 1970s, laymen have taken over most of the positions in parishes and diocesan offices and chanceries. In terms of “running the church on a day to day basis, lay people have the leading roles. Furthermore, it is not a simple pyramid organization. It is a “federation” of sort not only with thousands of dioceses but hundred of religious orders who are only generally under the authority of the Vatican “departments.” Many priests in the parishes of a diocese are members of religious order and they are directly under their “superior” In matters involving these people, the diocese must work with the order. It is a bit like having an Air Force officer working on an Army base. A general is still above an lieutenant, but the general may have to work with another general. The head of a religious order being pretty much the equal of a bishop. Since Vatican II, as a general matter, “religious” priests are more liberal than “secular” priests (who work for the bishop. The Jesuits are VERY liberal and it has been many since the popes could depend on them.