The Polish bishops' conference defended its handling of sexual abuse by clergy after a former priest was jailed in connection with the case of Jozef Wesolowski, the laicized former nuncio to the Dominican Republic.
"The Catholic Church is the only entity in Poland to have adopted guidelines on paedophilia," Fr Jozef Kloch, conference spokesman, told the US-based Catholic News Service.
"Since this problem affects other organizations as well, from schools to sports clubs, we'd have expected them to issue similar instructions on the care of children," he said. "But only the Church has taken action in this way."
The priest's comments came after the ex-priest, Wojciech Gil, 36, was sentenced 25 March to seven years in jail after being convicted of sexually abusing children in Poland and the Dominican Republic.
Gil was arrested in February 2014 during a home-visit to Krakow. The arrest came as authorities were investigating allegations that Wesolowski also sexually abused children. Wesolowski, who was an archbishop, was dismissed from the priesthood in June after a Vatican investigation. He faces criminal charges in Rome for abusing children in the Caribbean country.
A Warsaw court spokesman, Przemyslaw Nowak, confirmed to KAI, Poland's Catholic information agency, that the case against Gil was linked to investigations into crimes by Wesolowski while he served as nuncio until August 2013. Gil spent a decade as a parish priest in the Dominican Republic.
Mr Nowak said the 10 charges against Gil followed testimony from more than 100 witnesses and covered sexual offenses over 12 years as well as counts of child pornography and illegal possession of ammunition.
Gil's lawyer, Michal Szreniawa, said his client planned no appeal of the conviction or sentence. The court also ordered Gil to pay £28,000 in compensation to his victims.
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