VATICAN CITY
Deutche Welle
A Catholic archbishop and papal nuncio has been defrocked after his conviction for sexually abusing teenage boys. He is the most senior Vatican figure to be punished for such a crime.
Archbishop Jozef Wesolowski, the Vatican’s eccleseastical diplomat for the Dominican Republic and former Holy See ambassador, has been defrocked after being convicted of sexually abusing teenage boys.
The Vatican said on Friday that the Polish-born cleric was found guilty of sex abuse by the Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith – the modern-day successor to the Inquisition.
The sentence is the harshest penalty the tribunal can rule against a cleric under canon law. It strips him of his duties and status as a priest. Wesolowski could now face criminal charges by the Vatican tribunal with a jail sentence if found guilty.
The Vatican issued a brief statement but gave no information about the crimes themselves or when they were committed.
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