nutty: As you might imagine the Sacrament of Reconciliation (to use the jargon) is more complex than just being confessing, being contrite and prepared to do penance. There is also a requirement to 'carefully avoid the occasions of sin'. That is, you must do all you can keep out the situations where you might be tempted to sin again. Where the priest is molesting children, there is no way he can avoid the temptation just by being moved to another parish. That is one reason the Church is failing the priest as well as the children by protecting him in this way.

There is also the matter of setting an appropriate penance. Requiring him to turn himself in at the local police station seems the right start to me.