The findings were presented by the Diocese of Sosnowiec’s Commission for Clarification and Redress of Sensitive Matters, established late last year after a series of scandals involving clergy.
“The report is not the end, but the beginning of the work,” said commission chairman Tomasz Krzyżak.
According to the report, seven cases were confirmed and punished, four alleged perpetrators have died, three cases are before state courts, 10 remain under investigation and five were deemed unsubstantiated. Of those accused, 23 were diocesan priests, alongside one priest linked to the diocese, one religious brother and four laypeople.
The commission estimates that at least 50 minors were harmed, 66% of them girls. Nearly all victims—96%—were under 15 at the time of abuse. Commission members said the true number of victims may be higher and urged survivors and witnesses to come forward.
Sosnowiec Bishop Artur Ważny apologized publicly to victims, saying church institutions had too often protected themselves instead of those harmed. “This report is not a defense strategy […] This report shames me,” he said. He added that financial assistance for therapy is a first step and that some court settlements have already been reached.
Ważny said the report exposed deep administrative failures, including “chaos, lack of procedures, silence and downplaying of cases,” and stressed that publication marked the start of a longer reform process, not its conclusion.
The roughly 90-page document draws on archival research, diocesan records and interviews. It focuses on abuse of minors under canon law, though the commission said work continues on other sensitive cases.
The commission was created after public outcry over misconduct in the diocese. Following those events, Pope Francis accepted the resignation of the previous bishop, and Ważny was appointed in April 2024.
(jh)
Source: PAP, Polish Radio