Priest indicted in Poland for child abuse

The News
October 22, 2014

http://www.thenews.pl/1/9/Artykul/185041,Priest-indicted-in-Poland-for-child-abuse-

Father Wojciech G

A Polish priest accused of child abuse in both the Dominican Republic and Poland has been formally indicted in his native country.

Father Wojciech G.'s case has been referred to a district court in Wolomin, 12 miles east of the capital, according to Przemyslaw Nowak, spokesman for a public prosecutor's office in Warsaw.

Nowak has confirmed that the priest stands accused of 10 offences, 8 of which relate to the sexual abuse of boys below the age of 15.

“Two acts were committed in 2000-2001 in Poland, the others at various times over the years 2009-2013, in the Dominican Republic,” he outlined on Wednesday.

Nowak also revealed that the priest is accused of possession of pornographic material involving minors, as well as the possesion of a firearm and ammunition without the necessary permits.

“We have ample evidence in this case, including the testimonies of over 100 witnesses, and over a dozen reports by experts,” he noted.

Father Wojciech G. was arrested near Krakow in February 2014, and he has remained in police custody since then.

The clergyman has denied any wrongdoing since accusations first surfaced in 2013 in the Dominican Republic, where he had served as head of a parish in the highland town of Juncalito.

The Dominican Republic's Attorney General sent case files to Poland last autumn.

Since being in custody, the priest has declined to answer questions on the case.

If he is convicted of all the offences, he could face fifteen years behind bars.

The affair marks the second high profile child abuse case connecting Poland and the Dominican Republic over the last 12 months.

Former archbishop Jozef Michalowski, who served as papal nuncio on the Caribbean island, has been stripped of his diplomatic immunity and may be extradited from the Vatican to the Dominican Republic.