The late Polish pope John Paul II understood about baby abuse in Poland’s Catholic church a long time ahead of turning out to be pontiff and served cover it up, a new report has claimed.
Michal Gutowski, the investigator behind the report for non-public broadcaster TVN, said that Karol Wojtyla, as he then was, knew of circumstances of paedophile clergymen within the church whilst even now a cardinal in Krakow.
He transferred the monks to other dioceses – a person as significantly absent as Austria – to be certain no scandal ensued, the investigator said.
Wojtyla, who was pope for 27 yrs from 1978 till his dying in 2005, wrote a letter of recommendation for a priest accused of abuse to Vienna cardinal Franz Koenig, without mentioning the accusations, claims Gutowski.
During his investigation, Gutowski claims he spoke to victims of paedophile monks, their families and former church diocese employees.
The late Polish pope John Paul II (pictured in 1982) knew about youngster abuse in Poland’s Catholic church a long time just before starting to be pontiff and assisted address it up, a new report has claimed
He cites paperwork from the former Communist-period SB secret law enforcement and scarce church documents to which he managed to get entry.
But Gutowski explained the Krakow diocese experienced refused him accessibility to its very own documentary archives for his investigation.
The Polish church has in the previous refused to deliver documents to the judiciary or a community fee of enquiry investigating cases of church abuse of minors.
One particular of Gutowski’s sources mentioned on issue of anonymity that he had individually explained to Wojtyla about acts of paedophilia concerning 1 priest in 1973.
‘Wojtyla initial wished to make absolutely sure it wasn’t a bluff,’ the resource said.
‘He asked it not be described anyplace – he claimed he would offer with it.’
The then cardinal had explicitly requested the alleged affair be retained strictly beneath wraps, the supply is claimed to have advised Gutowski.
Thomas Doyle, an American former Catholic priest, canon regulation scholar, and the author of 1 of the very first stories of Catholic clergy abuse in the United States, reported Gutowski’s investigation was groundbreaking.
It showed that John Paul II knew this challenge existed even before he turned pope, he argued.
The broadcast of the investigation in ordinarily Catholic Poland comes before long soon after a Polish-centered Dutch journalist, Ekke Overbeek, produced very similar accusations.
Overbeek’s e book, Maxima Culpa, is because of to go on sale in Poland this 7 days.
Around the earlier two several years, and amid various reports of abuse of minors in the Polish church, the Vatican has sanctioned a number of higher-rating church officials for owning included up paedophilia by members of the clergy.
As the time of his election, John Paul II was the to start with non-Italian pope since the 16th century, and the longest-serving pope in contemporary history after Pius IX in the 1800s.
He has been credited with remaining instrumental in bringing down Communism in Central and Japanese Europe, and even survived 3 assassination makes an attempt – 1 of which noticed him shot and a different observed him narrowly keep away from becoming stabbed.
He manufactured community apologies to a lot of teams that had experienced at the palms of the Catholic Church over the generations.
Pope John Paul II (pictured), or Karol Wojtyla as he was known in advance of turning into pontiff, wrote a letter of advice for a priest accused of abuse to Vienna cardinal Franz Koenig, without having mentioning the accusations, claims investigative reporter Michal Gutowski
He apologised for wrongdoings together with the church hierarchy’s part in burnings at the stake, injustices dedicated towards women of all ages, and for the inactivity and silence of many Catholics in the course of the Nazi Holocaust in the Second Globe War.
Upon his dying in 2005, he was succeeded by Benedict XVI, and later canonised as Pope Saint John Paul II. Various in the Vatican refer to him as ‘John Paul the Great’ – in concept only the fourth pontiff to be acclaimed ‘The Great’.
Even so, has has previously been criticised for failing to answer swiftly enough to sex abuse scandals inside the Church, responding by indicating ‘there is no location in the priesthood and spiritual life for people who would damage the young.’
There have been various instances of sexual abuse of youngsters by Catholic priests, nuns and other associates within just the Church, top to many allegations, investigations, trials and convictions – as effectively as acknowledgements and apologies.
