Vatican Must Jail Polish Archbishop Now; SNAP Responds

SNAP
August 25, 2014

http://www.snapnetwork.org/rome_vatican_must_jail_polish_archbishop_now_snap_responds

Catholic Church officials in Rome and the Dominican Republic must take action to protect kids now from former Archbishop Josef Wesolowski.

We call on Vatican officials to either put Wesolowski in a Vatican jail or turn him over to secular authorities immediately.

We call on Dominican Catholic officials to actively seek out others who were hurt by Wesolowski and help secular prosecutors convict Deacon Francisco Javier Occi Reyes, who procured boys for the then-archbishop, by making announcements about both clerics in parishes, urging those who saw, suspected or suffered their crimes to come forward, get help and call police.

We call on Dominican Catholics and citizens to stop donating to their dioceses until this happens.

Finally, we call on every person with knowledge of or suspicions about crimes by Wesolowski or Reyes to find the strength to report to law enforcement. Secular authorities, not church authorities, can best safeguard kids from those who commit, enable or conceal heinous crimes against children.

We applaud the courage of the Dominican boys who were sexually violated by this now-defrocked Polish archbishop who Vatican officials continue to protect from prosecution. For their healing, and for the safety of other children, Wesolowski must be put behind bars immediately.

Pope Francis claims ''There are no privileges. . .for priests and bishops who have violated children.” It's time for him to imprison Wesolowski until he's extradited. Otherwise, the pope's claim is just another in a decades-long string of broken promises about abuse by the highest ranking clerics in Catholicism.