A Polish bishop has been punished by the Vatican for neglect after he failed to act despite twice being notified of sex abuse by the victim of a paedophile priest.
As a result, Tadeusz Rakoczy, retired bishop of the Bielsko-Żywiec diocese, has been barred from attending church celebrations and public meetings and ordered to donate to a foundation supporting victims.
Today’s announcement follows several other decisions by the Vatican, including one in March to discipline two other Polish bishops – the former archbishop of Gdańsk, Sławoj Leszek Głódź, and the former bishop of Kalisz, Edward Janiak – following allegations of their involvement in church paedophilia cover-ups.
The Vatican launched its investigation into Rakoczy in 2019 after being informed of his alleged neglect in cases of sexual abuse committed by a priest identified under Polish law only as Jan W., as he is the subject of a current investigation.
The priest’s victim, Janusz Szymik, says that he spoke to Rakoczy twice, first in 1993 and then in 2007. He described the repeated abuse he had suffered as an altar boy in Międzybrodzie Bialskie, near Bielsko-Biała in southern Poland, and shared his concerns that other boys had also been abused by the priest.
Komunikat @ArchKrakowska dotyczący biskupa seniora @DiecezjaBielsko Tadeusza Rakoczego ⤵️ https://t.co/SyPtGJqyyL
— Archidiecezja Krakowska (@ArchKrakowska) May 28, 2021
However, Rakoczy did not respond other than to say “I will pray for you,” according to Szymik, reports Gazeta Wyborcza.
After the bishop’s retirement in 2013, Szymik contacted his replacement, Bishop Roman Pindel, as he was convinced there were other victims. He approached the Vatican in 2019, after Pope Francis issued a document aimed at combating sexual abuse in the church and holding religious supervisors aware of the wrongdoings accountable.
Following its own investigation, the Vatican has now banned the 83-year-old Rakoczy from participating in any celebrations, public meetings, or meetings of the Polish Episcopal Conference (KEP), the central organ of the Catholic church in Poland, according to the decision announced today by the Kraków archdiocese.
The bishop is also required to lead a life of “penance and prayer” and donate, from his private funds, to the St Joseph Foundation, founded by the KEP to help the victims of sex abuse by priests and prevent further such cases in the church.
Szymik himself was informed of the decision by the chancellor of the Kraków archdiocese – which has jurisdiction over the Bielsko-Żywiec diocese. He hailed the “groundbreaking news”.
“The Vatican confirmed my allegations,” Szymik told Onet. “Now that his guilt has been proven, it is time to strip him of his decorations and honours.”
“I hope that similar consequences will be imposed on Cardinal Stanislaw Dziwisz, who has known about this scandalous issue since 2012 and did not take any action to notify the Vatican and clarify it according to the instructions of Pope John Paul II,” Szymik added.
Last year, an investigation found that Dziwisz, who for decades served as personal secretary to John Paul II, ignored cases of sex abuse in the Catholic church, including Szymik’s case, and also accused accepted bribes. He denies wrongdoing, and prosecutors decided not to open proceedings against him.
The Catholic church in Poland has in recent years come under increased scrutiny and criticism for its alleged failures in dealing with sex abuse by clergy. Following the release of a documentary last year revealing cases of abuse and alleged cover-ups, the government promised to create a state commission on paedophilia.
Main image credit: Paweł Sowa / Agencja Gazeta
Agnieszka Wądołowska is deputy editor of Notes from Poland. She has previously worked for Gazeta.pl and Tokfm.pl and contributed to Gazeta Wyborcza, Wysokie Obcasy, Duży Format, Midrasz and Kultura Liberalna
