POLAND
GlobalPost
AFP
Poland’s top Catholic cleric apologised Tuesday for suggesting parents shared the blame for paedophilia cases, including those involving Catholic priests, after a public outcry.
Poland is one of Europe’s most strongly Roman Catholic countries, but public loyalty to the church is weakening, particularly in the wake of a series of allegations of paedophilia involving priests.
Speaking to the Polish PAP news agency Tuesday, Archbishop Jozef Michalik condemned paedophile priests, but said child abuse “manifests itself when a child is looking for love” and could be avoided “given a healthy relationship between parents”.
Michalik later apologised and said he had been misunderstood, after the comments sparked a media storm.
Note: This is an Abuse Tracker excerpt. Click the title to view the full text of the original article. If the original article is no longer available, see our News Archive.