Report Accuses St. John Paul II of Concealing Sexual Abuse of Children by Priests in Poland
(MENAFN) A television news report by Polish channel TVN24 has alleged that St. John Paul II, the former Pope and Archbishop of Krakow, knew about sexual abuse of children by priests under his authority and sought to conceal it. According to the report that aired on Monday, the future pope, then known as Archbishop Karol Wojtyla, moved three priests accused of abusing minors among parishes or sent them to a cloister during the 1970s. The report also alleges that one priest was sent to Austria. Two of the priests, Eugeniusz Surgent and Jozef Loranc, served short prison terms for the abuse. Wojtyla served as archbishop of Krakow from 1964 to 1978 before he became Pope John Paul II. He died in 2005 and was declared a saint in 2014.
TVN24’s 2 and 1/2 year-long investigation found that Wojtyla knew about the abuse of minors by priests under his authority, according to documents of Poland’s communist-era secret security services, which sought to discredit the Catholic Church and had informers there. The documents are held in the archives of the state National Remembrance Institute. Journalist Marcin Gutowski also spoke with a number of victims and a man who said he informed Wojtyla during the 1970s about the abuse by Surgent. None of the priests were defrocked.
TVN24 also quoted from a letter that Wojtyla wrote to the archbishop of Vienna at the time, Franz Koenig, recommending a priest, Boleslaw Sadus, to his care. Wojtyla did not mention in the letter that Sadus had abused young boys. Sadus was made a parish priest in Austria and Wojtyla kept in touch with him after becoming pope.
The allegations against St. John Paul II have raised questions about his legacy and the Catholic Church’s handling of sexual abuse scandals. The report has also sparked a debate in Poland, a predominantly Catholic country, where St. John Paul II is revered. The Polish Episcopal Conference issued a statement saying it was “painful and shameful” to hear about the crimes committed by priests and that it would support victims in their search for justice.
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