Priest sexual abuse

[george]

It seams every couple of months i run across a story in the American press about a Polish Priest that has benn accused of sexual abuse of either a young boy or girl, in American churches.
However, i never hear about such cases in the Polish press.
Is there a tendency to squash such scandals? I feel if there are such a small abount of Poliish clergy in America, and i keep on reading about Polish parish scandals about visiting Polish priests, it make me wonder if they may have the same amount of problems in their church as the American church. Can anybody from Poland fill me in on this subject?

[Jaga]

There was a pretty big scandal with a bishop from Poznan, I believe. But you are right, these things do not get easily to the press. In order for this bishop to be eliminated somebody who knew the pope (our old pope, John Paul II) went to Roma to tell him about it otherwise the Vatican and Polish church beaurocracy would build a thick wall..

and the pope reacted very quickly. This bishop was removed soon.

[Jaga]

Recently there are some bad affairs with psychologists in Poland and also a choir director.... also from Poznan..

By the way, I believe that in the past there was not that much talk about any sexual pathologies in Poland. We, as children have not been taught how to protect ourselves. Not that anything special happened to me, but we had a crazy doctor at school who during annual checkup asked all girls to take off all the cloths - here in America this would be not possible without any real reason... and I believe (as like a secret rumour was circulating) that he was not completely healthy. Nowadays I would know how to approach this guy and they woudl not let him to do this.

I wonder how the attitudes changed in Poland now.

[Pawian]

george said:

However, i never hear about such cases in the Polish press.
Is there a tendency to squash such scandals? I feel if there are such a small abount of Poliish clergy in America, and i keep on reading about Polish parish scandals about visiting Polish priests, it make me wonder if they may have the same amount of problems in their church as the American church.

These cases of scandals made public are rare, indeed. The most blatant one recently was the case of bishop from Poznań who molested young clerics. The investigation lasted for a year, he even called Vatican for help, but to no avail, because he was finally removed, I believe.

There was a case of a famous priest from Gdansk, the one who, with Lech Wałęsa, opposed the communist regime so successfully, but later lost his vocation and started doing strange things. He was accused of sponsoring young boys with incredible amounts of money, there were also some homosexual contexts suggested by the boy`s parents. The priest was forced to retire.

There have also been a few cases of local priests from small parishes in towns and villages, accused by parents of molesting their children. e.g. one priest used to invite little boys to sleep in his bed, or another put girls on his lap and caressed them.

The problem is that it is not simple to accuse a priest in Poland. Priests are still looked upon as holy men, the messengers of God, those who are believed to be pure by nature and choice.

That is why people who decide to protect their children and demand the legal procedure for a priest risk a lot in their local communities. They risk being ostracized by their neighbours, even close family (yes!). I remember reading about a mother from a village who wasn`t afraid to blow the whistle. After she did it, her life in the village changed into hell. Even her own mother was against her. Unbelievable.

So, all in all, there is no tendency to squash such scandals on the upper level, I mean the media or the government or such.
But I can see a tendency to squash at the bottom, the parish level. People are afraid to speak. What they do is admonish their children to keep away from a weird priest and that`s all.

[Pawian]

admin said:

By the way, I believe that in the past there was not that much talk about any sexual pathologies in Poland.

I wonder how the attitudes changed in Poland now.

Yes, I remember nobody warned me of freaks who might hurt me. In a socialist country, it was just impossible that such people could exist. Socialism was supposed to be like paradise, and that`s the regime wanted to make people believe in it. There were no scandals like that in the media, teachers didn`t talk about them, parents neither. Sort of taboo?

However, I rememeber very well two cases of intruders who came to my school in 70s, went to the bathrooms and invited little girls to have an examination. They played "doctor." I even saw one of these guys escorted out of the bathroom by watchful female teachers.

But even after these incidents, nobody talked to us. Nobody explained things.

I believe it is different today. People get alarmed more easily because the cases of child molesting have been appearing in the media so often recently. I am on guard f every time when somebody wants to touch my children. Mostly it is innocent, people just like my children.

I believe freaks have hard times today. If their activity is revealed, they may have big problems. And they cannot excuse themselves they do it for fun, that it is innocent kidding.

Scandals are made public, molesters lose their jobs, they are chased not only by the police and prosecutors, but also by private investigators who surf the net and pretend to be children. Later they give away those guys who proposed dates, sex or whatever.
Children pornography is prosecuted too.

[george]

Yes i do remember this incident with the Bishop of Poznan. That was a weird story. The Polish church nor the Vatican never brought this man to justice. The Polish church tried to convey to the Vatican that this priest was getting fresh with very young semenarians ( 17 and 18 year boys. Why are these semenarians so young? ) Anyway, the Polish church didn't directly let the Pope know this. I guess they were too reluctant to embarass the top guy. After a year of frustration they finally went to the press! They had a national newspaper break the story and action was finally taken. Its ironic that much of the Vatican thought this crisis was media driven and over in Poland they had to use the media to correct a scandal in the church. Amazing! So actually it was the press and not the quick action of the Pope who got the ball rolling to get this guy out of the church.

[Bob S]

;D I do not believe anything that comes from any news reporter or news agency and I don't care if it is an American news agency or European news agency. God would have to appear to me and say "yes, this is true, you can believe it. Here in America, news agencies make-up their own stories and the more scandelous, the better. St. Thomas the Apostle and I may have something in common "we don't believe it until we see it". ;D

[george]

[avatar]




"I do not believe anything that comes from any news reporter or news agency and I don't care if it is an American news agency or European news agency. God would have to appear to me and say "yes, this is true, you can believe it. Here in America, news agencies make-up their own stories and the more scandelous, the better. St. Thomas the Apostle and I may have something in common "we don't believe it until we see it"."

Whoa Bob
The press reported we landed on the moon in 1968, are you sceptical about that also, or does St Thomas the Apostle have to report to you personelly. I'm not saying that news reports are always accurate and sometimes their reports are completly misleading. But what the Polish press reported on this Bishop of Poznan story was apparently believed by the pope and the vatican and as far as i know they didn't consulate with St. Thomas The Apostle before before getting rid of the Bishop of Poznan!

[Bob S]

;D LOL I believe everything the press says, after I check it myself. If the press says the Sun Rises in the East and sets in the West I would have to go outside and check it for myself, then, I might believe it. LOL ;D
Just remember; if there is no news to report or there is only good news than the press will make up it's own stories. I have more confidence in Tall Tales, Fables and Fantasy than I do in what news agencies try to tell me. ;D

[george]

"Just remember; if there is no news to report or there is only good news than the press will make up it's own stories. "

Golly Bob you got me on that one! I have to admit the sexual abuse crisis that has rocked the Church to the point of its lowest confidence level in a couple of centuries was not good news. Therefore, media must have made it up.
But seriously speaking AS i said in my previous posting the press is not always accurate and sometimes misleading. But what upsets is people who put their heads in the sand and pretend this abuse crisis doesn't exsist because they " Don't believe in any news reporter or news agency ". This is the exact mentality Church leaders had until the whole darn thing blew up in their face and admitted that the media was right. I'll go one step further and say if it wasn't for the media in this case, this abuse would still be going on today. So you might say in a sense that they saved countless future abuse victims from going thru a hell many know about. But thats OK Bob, if you don't witness it, it must not be true.