Regarding: "In respect of any cover up occurring before 2010, Pope Francis cannot punish any bishop under canon law because the pontifical secret applied to all allegations and information about child sexual abuse by clerics. "
- True. What was not protected though was the bishop re-assigning the offending cleric time and time again. It is that that violates church law from those days.
- What also violated church law was the bishop pretending that civil law in these matters had no bearing on the consequence of their decisions. That is, civil law per canon law is not to be ignored.
- Even ArchRaymond, transferred from LaCrosse, moved out of St. Louis, dismissed from the Apostolic Signatura and other Holy See offices and committees, now a sidelined chaplain to the Knights and Dames of Malta, noted at one time that if the bishops had followed canon law as it was promulgated in 1983 much of the harm would have been stemmed and  ameliorated.