Industry. A priest molested a 12-year-old boy. The matter is being investigated by the Vatican

The newspaper describes the story of Father Marcin (name changed), who, as a 12-year-old, was sexually abused several times in the mid-1990s by Father Stanisław, the parish priest of his home parish in Podkarpacie. “The crimes occurred, among others, during confession. For years, Father Marcin did not realize that he had been a victim of abuse. The trauma returned years later. In 2013, he told the then Archbishop of Przemyśl, Józef Michalik, about his abuse. He later submitted a written report,” he reports. “Republic”.

The newspaper indicates that, according to church law experts, the perpetrator committed at least two canonical crimes. Inducing a penitent to sin against the sixth commandment with the confessor during confession (so-called solicitation) and sexual abuse of a minor – explains the canonist. “Rzeczpospolita” reminds that since 2001, judging these crimes has been within the jurisdiction Vaticanthe matter should be reported to the Holy See by the bishop to whom the notification was sent.

“A few weeks after reporting, Father Stanisław called me. He asked for a meeting,” says Fr. Marcin, quoted by “Rz”. “I agreed. During the conversation, he said that he had contacted me from Archbishop Michalik, who told him that if we “arranged an agreement”, there would be no trial,” says the newspaper's interlocutor. “He apologized for what he had done, begged me to withdraw the report. He said that I was destroying his priesthood. Finally, he signed a statement in which he admitted to hurting me as a child. He added a request not to initiate criminal proceedings. I handwritten that I agreed. to this request,” he adds. According to Fr. Marcin's former parish priest blackmailed him – “he threatened that he would tell his family everything and even take his own life.”

Fr. Stanisław confirmed in an interview with “Rzeczpospolita” that he signed a declaration in which he admitted committing the acts he was accused of. The article states that, according to experts in church law, Archbishop Michalik should not reveal the identity of the injured party to the accused. The interlocutors of “Rzeczpospolita” agree that upon receiving the accused's statement admitting guilt (spring 2014), Archbishop Michalik should close the preliminary investigation and notify the Vatican. “He should then follow the instructions received from the Holy See. However, this was not done,” writes Rz. The newspaper points out that Father Stanisław was not suspended from his priestly duties. The article states that in 2015, at his request, he was allowed to live in in the Rzeszów diocese, where he became a chaplain in a care center.

“Rz” reminds that in May 2016, Archbishop Michalik passed to… retirementhe was replaced by Archbishop Adam Szal. “He assures today that no one “swept anything under the rug”. The preliminary investigation into the case was closed and the files were sent to the Vatican only in January 2019 – five years after the notification,” notes “Rzeczpospolita.” It also informs that in July 2019 the Holy See abolished the statute of limitations and ordered a criminal administrative process, which ended in June 2021. “Father Stanisław was deprived of his church dignity, he was not allowed to work with children or celebrate Holy Mass for five years. .outside the facility where he lives,” the newspaper reports.

The text says that a few months ago he contacted Fr. Marcin, one of the bishops who was ordered to investigate possible negligence of the hierarchs from Przemyśl. This bishop – as we read – about the possibility of the priest committing Stanisław reported the crime of pedophilia to the prosecutor's office in the mid-1990s.

“He also reported the possibility of committing a crime by the bishops of Przemyśl, who, knowing about the case of pedophilia, did not notify the investigators. The first investigation was discontinued due to the statute of limitations, the second one is ongoing. The proceedings of the Holy See are also ongoing,” reports “Rz”.