Polish journalists reject accusation of Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II. Photo AFP, Vincenzo Pinto
Central Europe
Pope John Paul II did not hide the sexual misconduct of his priests. That is the conclusion of two Polish journalists who reject the accusation of the late Pope by a Dutch news reporter.
Polish journalists Tomasz Krzyzak and Piotr Litka write so in an article on the Polish news website Rzeczopospolita, as reported by Kerknet.be. Recently, a Dutch journalist, Ekke Overbeek, accused the late Pope of hiding the misconduct of several priests on purpose. Overbeek had researched the archives of the Polish security services and concluded that the Pope had not removed church leaders from their position, even after he knew about their misconduct.
Yet, the Polish journalists counter this accusation and state that the Pope did act correctly within his authority. They point out that the perpetrators of the abuse were not under the responsibility of the Pope, who was the Archbishop of Krakow at the time.
In addition, they argue that he took all the necessary measures when confronted with a case in which a clergyman was accused of abusing several girls. According to the journalists, the future Pope removed the priest from the parish, stripped him from this authority until investigations were finished and put him in a monastery, where the civil authorities later arrested him. The Polish journalists acknowledge that the future Pope did not report the case to the Vatican. Still, they point out that the duty to do so was not introduced until 2001. John Paul II became Pope in 1978.
Related Articles
