The laicised former nuncio to the Dominican Republic is to stand trial in the Vatican on 11 July for abusing boys in the Caribbean country and possessing child pornography after fleeing to Vatican City State.
Polish-born Józef Wesolowski is one of the most senior Catholic clerics to face charges relating to the abuse of minors, and the first nuncio to do so.
He went missing in August 2013 after he and a Polish priest were accused in a Dominican television news report of improper relations with altar boys.
The Vatican laicised him, while his whereabouts were widely reported as unknown. However today’s announcement refers to him as being in Rome from August 2013.
The Vatican refused to extradite him to face trial in the Dominican Republic or his native Poland. He was initially living freely in Vatican City but was placed under house arrest there in September “in light of the medical condition of the accused”.
The Vatican’s Bolletino announced today: “The ex-prelate is accused of a number of offences committed both during his stay in Rome from August 2013 until the moment of his arrest (on 22 September 2014) and in the period he spent in the Dominican Republic, during the five years in which he held the office of apostolic nuncio (he was appointed as nuncio to the Dominican Republic on 24 January 2008 and apostolic delegate to Puerto Rico, offices from which he resigned on 21 August 2013).
“With regard to the period spent in Rome, the nuncio is charged with the offence of possession of child pornography under Law VIII of 2013 introduced by Pope Francis.
“The allegations referring to the preceding period are based on evidence transmitted by the judicial authorities of Santo Domingo in relation to the sexual abuse of minors.”
In September it was reported that investigators had found more than 100,000 indecent images and videos of children on Wesolowski’s computer and that a further 45,000 images had been deleted.
Today’s announcement from the Vatican added: “These serious allegations will be scrutinised by the competent judicial body which will be assisted by both technical appraisals of the IT systems used by the defendant and, if necessary, international legal cooperation for the evaluation of testimonial evidence from the competent authorities in Santo Domingo.”
Pope Francis has described the case as like a “dagger” in his heart.
Above: Wesolowski pictured in 2009. Photo: CNS/Reuters
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