Vatican ex-envoy Wesolowski ordered to stand trial for child sex abuse

By -
Jozef Wesolowski in a 15 March, 2013 file photo
Jozef Wesolowski will go on trial on 11 July 

The Vatican is to put its former envoy to the Dominican Republic, Jozef Wesolowski, on trial on child sex abuse and child pornography charges.

Pope Francis has also accepted the resignations of a US archbishop and his deputy, accused in Minnesota of having ignored a priest's child abuse.

Jozef Wesolowski is accused of sexually abusing children in the Dominican Republic from 2008 to 2013. He is under house arrest in the Vatican.

The trial is to begin on 11 July.

Wesolowski, 66, is also charged with possession of child pornography, dating from his return to Rome in 2013.

Analysis: David Willey, BBC News, Rome

Two years into his papacy Pope Francis is making good on his promise promptly to follow up allegations of sexual abuse and cover-up by his bishops.

Two American bishops resigned only days after their diocese was accused by local prosecutors of turning a blind eye to sex crimes against children committed by one of their priests.

Months and even years used to elapse between whistle-blowers denouncing paedophile priests and reaction from the Vatican.

Now Pope Francis acts within days. Jozef Wesolowski, a former archbishop who used to be a Vatican diplomat, is the highest ranking Vatican official ever to stand accused of sex crimes and keeping child pornography on his computer.

Pope Francis has created a special new Vatican tribunal to try bishops accused of covering up sex crimes. But it still remains to be seen how effective this measure will be.

File photo of John Niensted dating from 30 July, 2014.
John Nienstedt resigned as archbishop on Monday
The moves are seen as part of a crackdown by Pope Francis on clerics and employees of the Church who exploit minors.

Last year, the Pope compared the actions of those who commit such crimes to a "satanic mass".

He also strengthened the Vatican's laws against child abuse.

Wesolowski, who is originally from Poland, was recalled from the Dominican Republic in 2013, after allegations surfaced accusing him of abusing Dominican boys.

He had spent five years in the Caribbean country as the papal envoy.

He was defrocked in June last year after he was found guilty by a Church tribunal - he is the highest-ranking church official to be defrocked for such abuse.

He will now be tried by a Vatican criminal court.

A Vatican statement said the IT systems used by Wesolowski would be scrutinised.

He has been under house arrest in the Vatican since September.

The Vatican said at the time of his arrest that he had not been placed in a police cell because of his poor health.

If found guilty, he could face between six and 10 years in prison.

US resignations

The Vatican also accepted the resignations of an archbishop in the United States and his deputy following accusations that their archdiocese covered up the sexual abuse of children.

They are Archbishop John Nienstedt and Auxiliary Bishop Lee Anthony Piche from the Archdiocese of St. Paul and Minneapolis.
John Nienstedt resigned as archbishop on Monday
John Nienstedt said in a statement that his leadership had drawn attention away from the good works of the church but stressed he was leaving "with a clear conscience".

Their resignation comes after prosecutors charged their archdiocese with "turning a blind eye" to repeated reports of inappropriate behaviour by a priest who was later convicted of molesting two boys.

Neither man was named in the indictment.

Prosecutors accuse the archdiocese of failing to respond to "numerous and repeated reports of troubling conduct" by Curtis Wehmeyer, a former priest currently serving a five-year prison sentence for molesting two boys.

Comments

Post a Comment

Thanks for commenting. You email address and IP Address has been recorded for future reference. any anonymous comment which is deemed abusive will be removed and investigated for further action.

Popular posts from this blog

FOX NEWS HOST REFUSES TO BOARD PLANE WITH BLACK FEMALE PILOT

By Anonymous -
conservative commentator and author Ann Coulter has lost her mind! She refused to stay on board a Miami to New York flight after learning the pilot was a Black woman. According to witnesses, Coulter was concerned the experienced, decorated pilot may have gained her position as a result of affirmative action and wasn’t fully qualified to fly. The incident began when Coulter boarded the American Airlines flight and took up her first class seat. After a trip to the bathroom, she noticed the pilot was a black woman and became immediately distraught. According to passengers, at that point Coulter stood at the front of the cabin and began screaming her concerns to the entire flight as they finished boarding. “Aw come on people, a black woman flying a plane? You know she got that job through affirmative action. Am I the only one worried about this? I mean hello? Our lives are at stake here…” The confused passengers weren’t sure what to make of Coulter’s outburst, and rema...
Read more

MOM & 12 KIDS HOMELESS AFTER FAKE LANDLORD SCAM

By Anonymous -
Image
After pouring thousands of dollars into her decrepit house, Tocco Collins made the heartbreaking discovery that she had been seriously scammed. The mother of 12 had waited patiently for her landlords to deliver on their promises to fix the house’s holes, broken windows and burned out light box, CBS Atlanta reports. But after seven months, Collins learned that the phonies she had been paying $600 a month in rent didn’t own the home and had also skipped town. The actual owner had no idea her home was being rented out. “Step by step, I’m trying to make some effort,” Collins told the news outlet. “Right now I’m lost.” The Atlanta mother and her children are now homeless. They’re also at risk of getting broken up by child services, a devastating fate that do-gooders are trying to prevent. Members of Occupy Atlanta are raising money for the family to buy a new home, and volunteers said they would help renovate the new residence after it’s secured. Getting duped by a ...
Read more

Run-D.M.C. Producer Larry Smith Dead at 63

By Anonymous -
Image
Larry Smith, producer of some of the most cherished hip-hop records of the Eighties, including Run-D.M.C. 's first two albums, died Thursday at the age of 63. Radio host Combat Jack broke the news on Twitter , writing: "Just spoke to his family. RIP Larry Smith, the original King of Beats who passed away last night." A Queens native, Smith began his career as a session musician and quickly struck up a partnership with Kurtis Blow after playing bass on "Christmas Rappin'."  Smith would continue to play on a number of Blow's tracks, co-writing a few as well, including the MC's breakthrough record, "The Breaks,"  which became the first rap record to be certified gold. Smith then began working with Blow's manager at the time, Russell Simmons. The two co-produced a handful of tracks for Jimmy Spicer – including the oft-sampled "Money (Dollar Bill Y'All)"  – before helping make hip-hop history with Run-D.M.C.'s ...
Read more