Poland’s Catholic Church apologizes to sex abuse victims

An official of Poland’s Catholic Church apologized to victims of sex abuse by priests on Friday.

Prosecutors earlier said they have opened an investigation into allegations that two Polish priests, including a Vatican envoy, sexually abused boys in the Dominican Republic.

Bishop Wojciech Polak, secretary of the Episcopate, told a news conference that the Church is seeking to make amends, including to Dominican victims, and work on prevention of such abuse.

“The victims have been profoundly wronged,” Polak said. “It is a very painful situation, and we sympathize with the victims because their trust has been violated,” an Associated Press report quoted Polak.

“Sorry is the least that can be said,” he said.

Poland has obtained sufficient information from Dominican investigators to open a probe into pedophilia allegations against the two Polish priests, one of whom has diplomatic status, according to Mateusz Matyniuk, a spokesman for the prosecutor general.

He gave no names, but Dominican prosecutors have identified them as papal nuncio Archbishop Jozef Wesolowski and the Rev. Wojciech Gil, a parish priest.

The Vatican has recalled Wesolowski from the Dominican Republic on Aug. 21, and relieved him of his mission as apostolic nuncio after learning of the allegations against him from Dominican church authorities.

Source

AP/Huffington Post

Image: Huffington Post

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