A priest of the Order of Friars Minor was accused by the prosecutor’s office of committing 14 crimes of a sexual nature against four minors. The alleged acts allegedly took place over a 10-year period in various places in Poland, but also abroad. The monk was imprisoned for three months.
A 64-year-old priest from the Order of Friars Minor allegedly used the trust resulting from his role under the pretext of, among other things, performing religious practices in order to force four minor victims to have sexual intercourse or undergo other sexual activities. As reported by Sgt. pcs. Piotr Pawłowski from the press office of the Provincial Police Headquarters in Gdańsk, these acts allegedly took place in the years 2006-2016 in various places in the country and abroad.
According to Onet.pl, the monk, Polikarp N., was to work in the Vatican Secretariat of State and was a collaborator Pope Francis. Website about the suspension of a monk from his position as a priest Vatican due to suspicions of pedophilia, he wrote in September 2022.
The police’s actions were initiated by a notification submitted by the Delegate for the Protection of Children and Youth from the order of which the suspect is a member.
“After receiving the first information about the possibility of committing a crime, steps were taken, provided for in such situations by applicable state and church law and the guidelines of the Polish Episcopal Conference. In order to clarify the matter and ensure safety for third parties, the monk was removed from his current duties and given a permanent place of residence until disposal of law enforcement agencies,” said Father Olgierd Bartosz Paszkiewicz, press spokesman for the Province of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the Order of Friars Minor in Poland.
The priest pleaded not guilty
The most serious crime committed by a monk, i.e. insidious incitement to sexual intercourse, is punishable by imprisonment from 3 to 15 years. According to the police, the priest was accused of as many as 8 similar crimes. In total, the man was charged with 14 charges.
– Due to the suspicion of committing sexual crimes, the court, at the request of the prosecutor’s office, imposed a three-month arrest on the 64-year-old priest. The suspect did not admit to committing the alleged acts. He also refused to provide explanations – said the Provincial Police Headquarters in Gdańsk.
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