Vatican punishes two Polish bishops for abuse cover-ups

The Vatican said Monday that two Polish bishops accused of covering up sexual abuses will be ordered to pay into a victims’ fund and barred from celebrating mass in public.

The Holy See’s embassy to Poland also said that Edward Janiak, the former bishop of Kalisz, and Slawoj Leszek Glodz, the former archbishop of Gdansk, would have to leave their former dioceses.

The two had already resigned from their official duties after a series of revelations in recent months that have rocked the Catholic Church in Poland, where it remains highly influential.

The statement from the Apostolic Nunciature, the official name for the embassy, said Janiak and Glodz were being punished “on the basis of the provisions of the Code of Canon Law” and new norms issued by Pope Francis to combat sexual abuse by clergymen.

In August 2020, Pope Francis accepted the resignation of Glodz, known for his high-end lifestyle and love of luxury, following accusations he had bullied priests and remained silent on abuses.

Then, in October last year, the Vatican’s ambassador announced the resignation of Janiak, who was also accused of cover-ups.

The allegations against Janiak were at the centre of a viral documentary that ignited a national discussion on abuse by clergy — a subject that had long been taboo in Poland.

The documentary alleged that Father Arkadiusz Hajdasz, a paedophile, was shuffled from one parish to another and carried out acts of abuse for a quarter of a century, allegedly with the tacit protection of senior church figures including Janiak.