It is believed to be the first known sex abuse investigation against a high-ranking Vatican official in recent times.
In this March 15, 2013 photo, Archbishop Josef Wesolowski, papal nuncio for the Dominican Republic, greets people after a Mass in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. Authorities in the Dominican Republic will look into allegations of child sex abuse against Wesolowski, following his abrupt removal from his post by the Vatican, Attorney General Francisco Dominguez Brito said Wednesday, Sept. 4, 2013, noting that his office is aware only of rumors. (AP Photo/Manuel Diaz)
The Dominican Republic’s Catholic archbishop has confirmed that the Vatican will investigate the country’s recently removed papal envoy over allegations of child sex abuse.
Cardinal Nicolas de Jesus Lopez told reporters late Tuesday that Archbishop Jozef Wesolowski will be investigated by the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, the office that deals with abuse allegations.
“This is an extremely serious issue, very serious, the most serious of its kind for the Holy See,” Lopez said.
It is believed to be the first known sex abuse investigation against a high-ranking Vatican official in recent times, though former Vatican officials have also been accused after they left Rome.
Lopez said he personally traveled to the Vatican to meet with Pope Francis to talk about the allegations involving the 65-year-old Wesolowski.
“I compiled some reports. There were confidential reports, but obviously I have no evidence for those,” he said. “It’s up to the Holy See to investigate.”
A Vatican spokesman, the Rev. Federico Lombardi, previously said the church was investigating Wesolowski, but gave no details, and Dominican church officials denied they involved allegations of child sex abuse.
Lopez’s comments come shortly after Dominican prosecutor Bolivar Sanchez said he has interviewed seven boys between 13 and 18 years old as part of the investigation. He said three of them work on the streets of the capital of Santo Domingo while the remaining four live elsewhere. Local news media have said some of the youths shine shoes.
Sanchez declined further comment except to qualify some of the teens’ allegations as coherent.
Attorney General Francisco Dominguez Brito said if the government finds any concrete evidence against Wesolowski, it would seek his extradition. He noted, however, that the Dominican Republic has no extradition agreement with the Vatican.
Wesolowski was removed on Aug. 21 after serving as the Vatican’s representative in the Dominican Republic since 2008. His whereabouts are unclear.
Dominican prosecutors launched their investigation last week, largely in response to local media reports of allegations of sexual misconduct by Wesolowski as well as a friend and fellow Polish priest, who is also outside the country.
After Wesolowski was removed, Lopez said he didn’t know what prompted that action and suggested it might have been a result of a personal conflict with Puerto Rico Archbishop Roberto Gonzalez Nieves.
Wesolowski had also served as apostolic delegate to the U.S. territory.
Gonzalez’s spokesman, Samuel Soto, said he did not have any immediate comment on Lopez’s remarks or the ongoing investigation.
Pope Benedict XVI had named Wesolowski to the post in 2008. He had previously served as papal nuncio in Kazakhstan, Tadjikistan, Kyrgzstan and Uzbekistan and Bolivia.
He was ordained a priest in 1972 and entered the Vatican’s diplomatic service in 1980, serving in Vatican embassies in Africa, Costa Rica, Japan, Switzerland, India and Denmark, the Catholic news agency Zenit reported when he was named Dominican nuncio in 2008.
Vatican denies shielding envoy over sex abuse in Dominican Republic
Ambassador recalled to Rome before Dominican Republic prosecutors announce investigation
Saturday, 14 September, 2013, 3:46am
Associated Press in Vatican City
Archbishop Jozef Wesolowski. Photo: AFP
The Vatican says it is co-operating with prosecutors in the Dominican Republic who are investigating its envoy for alleged sexual abuse of teenage boys.
The explosive case has raised legal questions about the Holy See's responsibilities when accused priests come from within its own ranks.
Vatican spokesman Father Federico Lombardi denied the Vatican was trying to shield Archbishop Jozef Wesolowski by recalling him to Rome before Dominican prosecutors had announced their probe.
Wesolowski was recalled on August 21 and relieved of his job as apostolic nuncio after the archbishop of Santo Domingo, Cardinal Nicolas de Jesus Lopez, told Pope Francis about the allegations in July.
Dominican prosecutors announced their probe last week, largely in response to local media reports of allegations of misconduct by Wesolowski, 65, as well as a friend and fellow Polish priest, who is also outside the country.
Dominican prosecutor Bolivar Sanchez said he interviewed seven boys, aged between 13 and 18. Three of them worked on the streets of Santo Domingo, while the remaining four lived elsewhere. Some of the youths shine shoes. Sanchez described some of the allegations as coherent.
Wesolowski is the highest-ranking Vatican official to be investigated for alleged sex abuse, and his case has raised questions about whether the Vatican, by removing him from Dominican jurisdiction, had effectively placed its own church investigation ahead of that of authorities in the Caribbean nation.
Lombardi said: "His recall is by no means an effort to avoid taking responsibility for what might possibly be verified."
He said that early this month the Vatican had told the Dominican ambassador to the Vatican that it would co-operate with Dominican authorities with whatever they might need.
The Vatican's own rules for conducting sex abuse investigations under church law call for co-operation with civil authorities and reporting abuse allegations to police where such laws require it. Those norms were crafted in the wake of the explosion of sex abuse cases in 2010, where thousands of people came forward around the world detailing abuse by priests who were never reported to police, even though their bishops knew they were paedophiles.
Attorney General Francisco Dominguez Brito said if the government found any concrete evidence against Wesolowski it would seek his extradition.
