Vatican punishes bishop over sex abuse negligence
Pope Francis delivers the "Urbi et Orbi" message from the main balcony of Saint Peter's Basilica at the Vatican, December 25, 2018. Vatican Media/Handout via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. - RC11EF1C8C00
The Holy See, on Friday prohibited a Polish bishop emeritus from participating in any public celebrations and meetings.
The bishop was prohibited following an investigation into accusations of negligence in a cases of sex abuse committed by priests subordinate to him.
Bishop Tomasz Rakoczy was ordered to live his life “in the spirit of repentance and prayer,’’ prohibited from participating in meetings of Poland’s bishops conference, and ordered to pay an adequate amount from private funds to a foundation supporting abuse victims, the Archdiocese of Krakow said in a statement published online.
Similar actions were undertaken in recent months by the Vatican against several other Polish bishops.
Following investigations, Slawoj Leszek Glodz, archbishop emeritus of the Gdansk archdiocese, and Edward Janiak, former bishop of Kalisz, had been ordered to live outside of their dioceses and were banned from any public religious celebrations or lay gatherings there.
Bishop of Bydgoszcz Jan Tyrawa resigned in May amid a similar investigation.
Late in 2020, now-deceased Polish cardinal Henryk Gulbinowicz was also symbolically penalised for his role in sex abuse scandals.
The problem of sex abuse within the Polish Catholic church, including of minors, returned to the spotlight in recent years after a series of TV documentaries and reports about abuse and cover-up attempts. (dpa/NAN)
