Impunity for Polish papal nuncio?
Catholic World News reports that the Vatican will not cooperate with Polish authorities that have been investigating former papal nuncio Jozef Wesolowski. As reported, the Vatican has refused a request from Polish prosecutors for the extradition of Archbishop Jozef Wesolowski.
As reported in Polish press, the Dominican judicial authorities shared the information on its investigations into child sexual abuse in the Dominican Republic involving Father Wojciech Gil with the Polish authorities and those on the papal nuncio with the Vatican. Both are natives of Poland, but the Vatican is refusing to extradite Wesolowski on the grounds that he is a citizen of the Vatican and there is no extradition treaty with the Dominican Republic or Poland. "Archbishop Wesolowski is a citizen of the Vatican, and Vatican law does not allow for his extradition," the Vatican announced.
The archbishop served as apostolic nuncio in the Dominican Republic since 2008 until August 2013, when he was recalled to Rome after Cardinal Nicolas Lopez Rodriguez informed Pope Francis that he had heard reports of sexual abuse by the Vatican envoy. At the time, investigative journalists had begun to air TV reports on his misconduct in the Dominican Republic as well as that of a fellow Polish clergyman, Father Wojciech Gil who was the parish priest in Juncalito, Santiago. The two men were known to be close friends. Wojciech is now living with his relatives in a village south of Krakow in Poland.
Shortly after Wesolowski's departure, authorities in the Dominican Republic revealed that several families had filed complaints against him. At the time, the Vatican pledged full cooperation with Dominican prosecutors.
The Polish authorities launched their own investigation into Archbishop Wesolowski shortly after the publication of reports about his alleged misconduct in the Dominican Republic and visited the Dominican Republic to investigate and meet with local judicial authorities. Przemyslaw Nowak from the District Prosecutor's Office in Warsaw has said the Vatican has confirmed that it is proceeding with its own investigation concerning the archbishop.
The Vatican has not disclosed the whereabouts of the Polish archbishop who is believed to be living in the Vatican or Rome.
The News of Poland reported that a deacon who worked for Archbishop Wesolowski has stated that he procured boys for the papal nuncio. Wesolowski allegedly engaged in oral sex with boys, and took photographs of them while they were masturbating. Meanwhile, three children in the Dominican Republic have made allegations against Father Gil, and child pornography was allegedly found on his computer.
The statement is issued on the eve of a 16 January visit by a Vatican delegation to a hearing at the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child in Geneva as part of an investigation into allegations of child sexual abuse by Catholic clergy around the world and an alleged system of cover-ups by the Holy See.
'This is the first time the Holy See's been pressed on child sexual abuse by the world's children's rights body and that's of international significance,' said Veronica Yates, director of Child Rights International Network (CRIN). 'We know child abuse happens in other closed institutions, but what's unique about the Catholic Church is the Holy See is a UN State that's voluntarily signed up to the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, a legally binding document that includes, among others, a child's right to protection from violence and sexual abuse.'
She added: 'Child sexual abuse in the Catholic Church is a global problem affecting thousands of children. Some of the "techniques" employed by the church indicate its disregard for children's rights and the law. An example is the "geographical cure", designed to relocate, forget and sweep under the rug cases of child abuse to protect the institution. There are numerous examples of priests accused of abuse being transferred, usually from Europe or North America to Africa or Latin America. The Holy See's given no indication these practices have stopped.'
Vatican declines extradition for papal nuncio accused of abuse : News Headlines - Catholic Culture
Vatican refuses to extradite Polish archbishop accused of child sex abuse - Thenews.pl :: News from Poland
Vaticano: Wesolowski no se encuentra desaparecido y est? a disposici?n de sus superiores - DiarioLibre.com
Vaticano comparecer? ante la ONU el 16, por sacerdotes que violan ni?os - Acento
Doctor Sarita sostiene que asesinos quer?an
So now Poland itself is requesting extradition.. which will at least be more powerful than the Dominican Republic.. But then why are they not prosecuting Gil or sending him back here, I wonder?