First-ever trial in Poland begins for a bishop accused of failing to report sexual abuse by priests.
Process of the bishop accused of hiding pedophilia cases
On Wednesday, February 18, the first trial in Poland began against a bishop accused of concealing cases of pedophilia. The Regional Court in Tarnów (Lesser Poland Voivodeship) is hearing the case against Bishop Andrzej J. The prosecutor’s office accuses the Tarnów bishop of too late reporting to law enforcement authorities about cases of child molestation by priests from his diocese.
Cases of priests Stanisław P. and Tomasz K.
Portal debica24.pl reported that the first case concerns Stanisław P., who was already dismissed from the clergy. Investigators established that the former priest from 1987 to 2008 in parishes in Poland and Ukraine committed sexual offenses against at least 95 boys. This case was dismissed in 2022 due to the statute of limitations expiration. The second thread examined in the investigation against Bishop Andrzej J. concerns priest Tomasz K.
In December 2024, the prosecutor’s office submitted an indictment to the Regional Court in Nowy Sącz against the clergyman. According to investigators, Andrzej J. already in 2018 knew that Tomasz K. committed sexual offenses against three minors, but did not immediately pass this information to law enforcement authorities.
Tarnów Diocese statement
The Tarnów Diocesan Curia issued a statement addressing the allegations against Bishop Andrzej J. “It should be noted that the obligation to report existed along with the law of March 23, 2017, which entered into force on July 13, 2017. The prosecutor’s charges against Bishop Andrzej J. concern two cases, which after the entry into force of the aforementioned law were reported by the Bishop’s Delegate to the appropriate state authorities” – it was communicated.
The Curia also emphasized that “the authorities of the Tarnów diocese have made in recent years several reports to law enforcement authorities, introducing a ‘zero tolerance’ policy.”