hand and heart

The recent post office troubles have impacted our regular fundraising efforts. Please consider supporting the Register and Catholic journalism by using one of the methods below:

  • Donate online
  • Donate by e-transfer to accounting@catholicregister.org
  • Donate by telephone: 416-934-3410 ext. 406 or toll-free 1-855-441-4077 ext. 406
Archbishop Juliusz Paetz, formerly of Poznan, Poland, is pictured in an undated file photo. Archbishop Paetz, who resigned in 2002 after being accused of sexually molesting Catholic seminarians, has been warned by the Vatican to stay away from commemorations of Poland's Christian conversion and an upcoming visit by Pope Francis.
Archbishop Juliusz Paetz, formerly of Poznan, Poland, is pictured in an undated file photo. Archbishop Paetz, who resigned in 2002 after being accused of sexually molesting Catholic seminarians, has been warned by the Vatican to stay away from commemorations of Poland's Christian conversion and an upcoming visit by Pope Francis. CNS photo/Courtesy of Remigiusz Sikora, EPA

Vatican reiterates Polish archbishop should shun public Church events

By  Jonathan Luxmoore, Catholic News Service
  • April 14, 2016

WARSAW, Poland– A Polish archbishop who resigned after sexually molesting Catholic seminarians has been warned by the Vatican to stay away from commemorations of Poland's Christian conversion and an upcoming visit by the Pope.

"The Holy Father decisively reiterates his invitation for you to live a life of privacy in repentance and prayer," said Archbishop Celestino Migliore, the Vatican's Warsaw-based nuncio.

"Media news about your participation in official celebrations of the anniversary of Poland's baptism has created a new situation of unnecessary and harmful commotion for the Church in Poland and the Holy See. It blatantly contradicts the instructions given you."

The letter to Archbishop Juliusz Paetz, formerly of Poznan, was released April 13 by the Polish bishops' conference after the archbishop told local journalists he saw "no reason" not to take part in the April 14-16 Poznan celebrations, which were to be attended by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, Vatican secretary of state.

Meanwhile, the bishops' conference press office said the archbishop had been warned by the Vatican in 2013 to "refrain from participating in public celebrations," adding that it was "hard to imagine" he would again ignore the order during the Pope's July 27-31 visit to Poland for World Youth Day in Krakow.

St. John Paul II accepted Paetz's resignation in 2002 after the archbishop was accused of repeatedly abusing seminarians.

However, the archbishop continued living at the Poznan curia and participating in Church events, including the consecration of bishops, as well as attending audiences with the pope in Rome, where he worked from 1967-1982.

In 2006, he was shown on Polish TV greeting Pope Benedict XVI during the now-retired pope's visit, while in 2009 a telegram from the pope was published at Paetz's request in a Catholic weekly, congratulating him on his "fruitful service" and "saving work for the good of the Church."

Jesuit Father Federico Lombardi, Vatican spokesman, confirmed in June 2010 that the archbishop's "rehabilitation was without foundation," adding that removing a 2002 ban on administering sacraments in his former diocese would depend on Poznan's current archbishop, Stanislaw Gadecki, who is also president of the Polish bishops' conference.

Celebrations of the 1,050th anniversary of Poland's Christian conversion under Duke Mieszko I in 966 are to include Masses and vigils, as well as a commemorative Poznan session of the Polish parliament.

Tagged under:

Related items

More in this category: « Together on the margins: Lesbos trip to be ecumenical sign of service Trip to Greece is humanitarian, not political, Vatican spokesman says »

Please support The Catholic Register

Unlike many media companies, The Catholic Register has never charged readers for access to the news and information on our website. We want to keep our award-winning journalism as widely available as possible. But we need your help.

For more than 125 years, The Register has been a trusted source of faith-based journalism. By making even a small donation you help ensure our future as an important voice in the Catholic Church. If you support the mission of Catholic journalism, please donate today. Thank you.

DONATE