The Pope has granted approval for the resignation of a Polish bishop, whose diocese has been marred by allegations of a scandal involving a male prostitute at a priest’s residence. The bishop chose to step down following a lengthy investigation into the incident, which is just one among many controversies.
According to The New York Times, the Bishop of Sosnowiec, Grzegorz Kaszak served in southwestern Poland and made the decision to step down after one of his priests came under criminal investigation for organizing a gay orgy party at his apartment in Dabrowa Gornicza involving a male prostitute. Reportedly one of the participants of experienced a drug overdose related to erectile dysfunction pills. The diocese identified the priest responsible for arranging the event in his church apartment as Father Tomasz Z.
As reported by Reuters, when one of the attendees at the party called for an ambulance, paramedics were initially denied access. They were only able to provide assistance to the affected individual after the police were summoned.
“I perceive this as an obvious attack on the church, including the clergy and the faithful, in order to humiliate its position, tasks, and mission,” the priest was quoted in a statement he emailed to the Gazeta Wyborcza daily.
The Vatican accepted Bishop Grzegorz Kaszak’s resignation without specifying the reasons behind his decision.
Following the incident, Bishop Kaszak asked the faithful to pray for the priests involved and for those who had been adversely affected by their actions, even if they had done nothing wrong, as reported by Gazeta Wyborcza Daily and other media outlets.
Tomasz Z was eventually removed from his position, as stated by the state-run news agency PAP. The diocese explained that his behavior had caused significant scandal among the faithful and had provoked public outrage, according to PAP’s report.
In a statement posted on the diocesan website, Bishop Kaszak expressed gratitude to the faithful for their support of the church and promised to keep them in his prayers, saying, “I will always remember you in my prayers.“
This is not the only time the Polish Catholic Church finds itself mired in sex scandals. In 2010, the acting rector of the Sosnowiec seminary reportedly engaged in a physical altercation at a gay club. Surprisingly, he continued in his role for more than a year, even after the incident received public attention through Polish media. It wasn’t until the Holy See stepped in that the seminary was ultimately dissolved, as reported by the PAP news agency.
According to the reports, published in the New York Times, the Catholic Church of Poland has been accused of covering up crimes of sexual abuse of minors by members of the clergy.
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