It is not the fact that priests have been excommunicated lately, it is the fact that the threat of excommunication is still there today. The orders that Pope Pius XI issued back in 1922 remain in enforce today. I believe I read somewhere that some Bishop threatened Tom Doyle with excommunication because of his work on behalf of victims. In typical Tom Doyle fashion he said bring it on. He knew more about Cannon law than almost any Bishop. There have been more priests coming forward lately to report their fellow priests. That is very late in coming but certainly a welcome sign. I do believe that if you polled Catholic priests, the vast majority would hold Cannon Law supersedes civil law. That needs to change. If Francis truly believes in justice for victims, he needs to overturn what Pius XI put into effect in 1922.