Pope Accepts Resignation of Scandal-hit Polish Bishop

Politiko
August 13, 2020

https://politics.com.ph/pope-accepts-resignation-of-scandal-hit-polish-bishop/

Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of the Archbishop of Gdansk, the Holy See said on Thursday, following accusations he had bullied priests and remained silent on alleged sex abuse.

Priests in the 75-year-old’s archdiocese claimed in a letter to the Vatican last year that Bishop Glodz had subjected them to psychological harassment.

The bishop, who denies the bullying, has also been criticised for keeping silent about the alleged actions of several priests accused by Polish prosecutors of sexual abuse against children.

Among them was Henryk Jankowski, a high-profile priest who died 10 years ago and was never convicted of a crime despite accusations of abuse since 2004.

In March, a group of Catholics sent a letter to the Vatican calling for Glodz’s resignation before his potential retirement age of 75.

The archbishop, they wrote, had “lost the moral credibility necessary to exercise the ministry of diocesan bishop”.

In February 2019, three activists tore down a statue of Jankowski in Gdansk and in a manifesto accused Glodz of having ignored the priest’s actions while having “tolerated the risk of new victims”.

Under pressure from the Vatican, Glodz opened a commission in April to study the accusations against Jankowski.

Bishops theoretically retire at 75 though it is not mandatory and the pope can extend their term of office.

Agence France-Presse