The Vatican has punished two Polish bishops over their “negligent” response to the sexual abuse of minors by members of the Catholic clergy. They have been barred from celebrating mass in public and required to leave their former dioceses, as well as to pay into a fund for victims.
The former archbishop of Gdańsk, Sławoj Leszek Głódź, and former bishop of Kalisz, Edward Janiak, had both already left their roles following allegations of involvement in a series of abuse cases and allegations that they were covered up by the church hierarchy.
Last year, the Vatican ordered an investigation into Głódź over the claims. He retired from his position in August. In October, Pope Francis permanently removed Janiak over allegations – aired in a Polish documentary – that the bishop covered up abuse by a priest under his authority.
Today, the Holy See announced that it was formally punishing the two bishops. In a statement issued by the Apostolic Nunciature in Poland, the Vatican said it was taking action in response to “reported negligence” and “omissions” by Janiak and Głódź “in cases of sexual abuse committed by some clergy against minors”.
The two were punished under rules issued in 2019 by Pope Francis to combat child sex abuse in the church, as well as “on the basis of the provisions of the Code of Canon Law”.
They have been forbidden by the Vatican from living in their former dioceses or participating in public religious celebrations there. Both are also required to pay “an appropriate amount” from their own resources to a church fund for the prevention of abuse and support for its victims.
The Catholic church in Poland has been hit by a series of sex abuse revelations in recent years. Among the latest allegations are that Stanisław Dziwisz, who served as personal secretary to Polish Pope John Paul II, ignored cases of abuse and accepted bribes from those accused of carrying it out.
In a documentary aired last month, the church in Poland was accused of failing to take action against an accused paedophile priest, Andrzej Dymer, for 25 years after first being made aware of the allegations in the 1990s.
In response, the Catholic episcopate in Poland has introduced measures including a new Child Protection Office to address past failings. In November, the Vatican also took disciplinary action against Cardinal Henryk Gulbinowicz, who had been accused of carrying out abuse.
Main image credit: Silar/Wikimedia Commons (under CC BY-SA 4.0)
Maria Wilczek is deputy editor of Notes from Poland. She is a regular writer for The Times, The Economist and Al Jazeera English, and has also featured in Foreign Policy, Politico Europe, The Spectator and Gazeta Wyborcza.
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