|
Polish Archbishop Subject of Vatican Inquiry VOA News 24 Feb 2002 05:09 UTC 
The Vatican has ordered an inquiry into allegations leveled against a Polish archbishop accused of sexual harassment.
The allegations surfaced Saturday in Poland's Rzeczpospolita newspaper. The paper reported that many priests and clerics have accused Monsignor Juliusz Paetz, the Archbishop of Poznan in western Poland, of sexual harassment.
The 67-year-old archbishop denies molesting seminarians and priests in his diocese. He says his words and acts have been misinterpreted. He also says he would like to look his accusers in the face.
Senior church figures in Poland, where 90 percent of the population is Catholic, have said they are shocked and have demanded clarifications from Rzeczpospolita.
But the newspaper defended its story on Mr. Paetz. The paper called on the episcopate, whose reputation the paper says has suffered due to the archbishop's scandalous behavior, to acknowledge the truth about Mr. Paetz.
The controversy erupts just as sexual scandals are rocking dioceses in the United States. The Archdiocese of Philadelphia says it has dismissed several priests in recent weeks due to credible allegations of sex abuse.
The Archdiocese of Boston recently released the names of 80 priests who abused children in recent decades.
Some information for this report provided by AFP and AP.
|