Pope Francis has decided to punish Archbishop Sławoj Leszek Głódź and Bishop Edward Janiak for covering up sex abuse in the Church. They have been ordered to reside outside their dioceses and banned from participating in public religious gatherings within its borders.
The Vatican embassy to Poland said on Monday the Holy See had decided to punish two Polish bishops after receiving formal complaints regarding misconduct.
In accordance with the Canon Law and on Pope Francis' initiative, investigations were launched into alleged negligence, by former Gdańsk metropolitan bishop Archbishop Sławoj Leszek Głódź and former Kalisz ordinary Bishop Edward Janiak, in cases of sex abuse perpetrated by some priests on minors, as well other issues regarding managing their dioceses.
The investigations have already been completed and the Vatican has decided to punish both Church officials.
They have been ordered to reside outside their dioceses - archbishop Głodź in Gdańsk diocese, and bishop Janiak in Kalisz diocese - and banned from participating in public religious or secular gatherings within the two dioceses.
In addition, the Vatican ordered them to pay an undisclosed sum of their private money to a foundation helping abuse survivors.
At the end of 2019, several priests from Gdańsk diocese said they had been bullied by Archbishop Głódź. Their accounts were presented in a report by TVN24's "Czarno na Białym". Shortly after the report had been aired, protest were organised in front of the Gdańsk curia seat. The faithful also wrote a letter to the Vatican Nuncio in Poland, calling for the archbishop's dismissal.
Later on, "Wprost" weekly wrote the Vatican had appointed an administrator to compile a report on misconduct in the Gdańsk diocese.
Archbishop Głódź said at the time he had never downplayed any reports of abuse and that he they were being investigated in line with the procedure.
The Apostolic Nuncio in Poland Salvatore Pennacchio informed on August 13 the Pope accepted Archbishop Głódź's resignation from serving as the Gdańsk metropolitan bishop.
Bishop of Kalisz Edward Janiak found himself in the spotlight after a documentary by filmmaking brothers Tomasz and Marek Sekielski titled "Hide and Seek". The movie tells a story of three men who had been abused as boys by priest Arkadiusz H. One of the threads of the inquiry was the alleged covering up of the issue by Bishop Janiak.
In June, 2020, the Vatican suspended Janiak as Kalisz diocese head. He was temporarily replaced by Archbishop Grzegorz Ryś.
The Pope accepted Bishop Janiak's resignation in October, 2020.
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, tvn24.pl