For the first time in history, the Vatican put a former Archbishop, 66-year-old Jozef Wesolowski on criminal trial for sexual abuse of children. Wesolowski was formerly the ambassador of the Holy See and Archbishop of the Dominican Republic. By instructions from Pope Francis himself, the minister was put under house arrest since the Vatican City did not have a proper prison.
Hangyeorae News reported that Wesolowski had met a number of children walking along the streets while he was still serving as ambassador to the Holy See in the Dominican Republic. They reported that Wesolowski had given the children money and had them go through sexual abuse. Though he is currently under house rest, if Wesolowski should be officially convicted after the trial overseen by the Vatican he will probably be moved to an Italian city. Daily Mail reported that the Dominican government had originally tried to press charges against the defrocked archbishop.
The New York Times reported that this was the first time in history that the Vatican is hosting and overseeing a full criminal trial against one of its leaders. However they also noted that this was not the first time that Catholic leaders had been accused of sexual crimes. Priests in different countries including Australia, the United Kingdom and Ireland have been accused of sexual abuse and as a result the Vatican has received heavy criticism. In past cases however, some religious leaders were forgiven and the victims were compensated by the local Catholic ministries.
Pope Francis warned that cardinals, bishops and other leaders of the Catholic Church will receive absolutely no privileges when it comes to sexual crimes against children. In fact, last year he modified church law so that any member of the Vatican who was convicted of child sexual abuse, child pornography and trafficking could result in 12 years of imprisonment. It is reported by Hangyeorae News that the Vatican receives around 600 reports a year regarding Catholic leaders committing sexual crimes.
