Priest held over abuse claims

A Polish priest was detained near Krakow in connection with the high-profile case of alleged child abuse in the Dominican Republic that involved Polish Archbishop Józef Wesolowski, former papal nuncio in the country, writes Josef Pazderka.

The detention of Fr Wojciech Gil was confirmed by a spokesman for the district public prosecutor’s office in Warsaw.

Fr Gil has been under investigation by the Polish prosecutor’s office since late September. The Dominican Republic’s attorney general transferred its case files, containing about 650 documents, to Warsaw last autumn, and it is understood that if charges are brought, the Polish missionary will be tried in Poland.

It is alleged that Gil, who led a parish in the highland Dominican Republic town of Juncalito for close to a decade, molested several children. When allegations emerged against him last year, Fr Gil declined to return to his post from a holiday in Poland. It is understood that Gil was residing with family in his native village south of Krakow.

The 36-year-old Polish priest has repeatedly denied the accusations against him. Fr Gil was a close associate of Polish Archbishop Józef Wesolowski, former Holy See nuncio to the Dominican Republic who is currently accused of similar crimes.

The Dominican Republic’s attorney general transferred Archbishop Wesolowski’s case files to the Vatican last year. It is understood that Wesolowski is residing in Rome or the Vatican City, and the Holy See has confirmed that it will lead its own investigation.

n Some 74 per cent of Poles think that religion is not always the source of morality and people should follow their own conscience first. The results of a poll by the Warsaw-based CBOS polling agency reveal a significant decline of public trust in religion in Poland.