The Pope is one who gets it. He has never defended these crimes, not tried to obfuscate them. He hates these despicable acts and wants to oust those who commit them. It is for that reason that I believe criticisms of him are unjust.
Incidentally, the principal effect of the process of laicization is to return a priest to the lay state, free of his obligation to the vow of celibacy. It is not properly called ‘defrocking’ which is more of an act of stripping the priest of his ministerial powers - something the bishop typically initiates.
The real issue for me is the vast number of bishops who hid these crimes. My plea to the Pope is to purge the Church of those. It is happening in Ireland and it should happen everywhere. Removal of a bishop however, is far more difficult than removal of a priest. The bishop enjoys a very large amount of legal autonomy within the laws of the Church - not something well understood even by Catholics let alone non-Catholics. The most effective and expedient process is to get the bishop to retire “voluntarily”.
As retired military myself, I honor your own service to our country.