UNITED STATES
Legal Examiner
Posted by Mike Bryant
July 14, 2014
SNAP has continued to follow and get information out about the United Nations Committee Against Torture Report. Recently, the report disclosed information about Archbishop Josef Wesolowski, who was the papal nuncio to the Dominican Republic and is accused of molesting children in Poland and the Dominican Republic.
The Washington Post also reported:
Tackling the controversial case of Archbishop Josef Wesolowski, the panel demanded “a prompt and impartial investigation” of abuse allegations in his native Poland and in the Dominican Republic, where he served as papal nuncio until his dismissal in August 2013. The committee said the Vatican should reconsider an extradition request from Poland if warranted.
The question is whether Wesolowski should be returned to Poland to face criminal charges there. Up until recently, he has claimed diplomatic immunity and that the Vatican doesn’t extradite its citizens. The Holy See recalled Wesolowski last August and relieved him of his job after the archbishop of Santo Domingo, Cardinal Nicolas de Jesus Lopez, told Pope Francis in July about rumors that Wesolowski had sexually abused teenage boys in the Dominican Republic. Dominican authorities subsequently opened an investigation, but haven’t charged him. Poland also opened an investigation into Wesolowski and a friend and fellow Polish priest.
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.