Bishop punished by Vatican over abuse negligence elected as Polish village chief

The former archbishop of Gdańsk, who earlier this year was punished by the Vatican for his “negligence” in dealing with cases of child sex abuse in the Roman Catholic church, has been unanimously elected as the head of the local authority in his home village.

Sławoj Leszek Głódź last year left his position in Gdańsk following a series of allegations relating to cases of abuse and cover-ups of it. Following an investigation, in March this year the Holy See formally punished him and another former bishop, Edward Janiak.

The Vatican 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”, said the Apostolic Nunciature in Poland.

Among the claims against Głódź were that he repeatedly removed a priest accused of sexual abuse between parishes. The priest was later found guilty of raping a teenage girl and sentenced to 12 years in prison.

Separately, the archbishop was anonymously accused by dozens of priests of bullying subordinates and offering church positions in exchange for financial benefits, which he used to fund a “lavish lifestyle”. The priests described public humiliations, use of vulgar and abusive language, and a culture of fear.

Both Głódź and Janiak were banned by the Vatican from living in their former dioceses. As a result, Głódź returned to the village of his birth, Bobrówka in northeastern Poland, where he owns a palatial property on a 20-hectare estate, reportedly worth over 3 million zloty (€663,000).

Earlier this month, an election was held in Piaski, a part of Bobrówka, to choose a new sołtys (a term for the executive head of a village administration).

Among 36 residents entitled to take part in the election as part of the village countil, nine did so. All of them voted for Głódź as the new village chief, replacing the previous incumbent, Edward Klisz, who had resigned.

The local authorities shared an image of the former archbishop and his electorate. It is the first time in Poland that an archbishop has been elected to such a position, reports local newspaper Kurier Poranny.

The Catholic church in Poland has been hit by a series of scandals relating to the abuse of minors by priests and alleged cover-ups by their superiors. Głódź himself featured in a 2019 documentary, Tell No One, that showed how such cases had been swept under the carpet by the church.

As well as Głódź and Janiak, the Vatican has taken action against other Polish bishops accused of wrongdoing in such cases. In May this year, Tadeusz Rakoczy, retired bishop of the Bielsko-Żywiec diocese, was punished for failing to act despite twice being notified of sex abuse by the victim of a priest.

Last year, the Holy See also took disciplinary measures against Cardinal Henryk Gulbinowicz, who had been accused of abuse. Another cardinal, Stanisław Dziwisz, former secretary to Pope John Paul II, has also been accused of ignoring cases of sex abuse and accepting bribes.

Main image credit: Urząd Gminy Jaświły

Daniel Tilles

Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.