Jozef Wesołowski , the former Apostolic Nuncio to the Dominican Republic and Apostolic delegate to Puerto Rico, will face trial next month.
According to the Holy See Press Office, Professor Giuseppe Dalla Torre, president of the Tribunal of Vatican City State, ordered the trial. The first hearing is scheduled for July 11th, 2015.
Wesołowski served as apostolic nuncio in various countries since 1999; he was sent to the Dominican Republic in 2008, where he is accused of having engaged in the sexual abuse of minors. He was recalled from the Dominican Republic in 2013.
In June 2013, Wesołowski was laicized after he was found guilty in canon law proceedings, with the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith handing down the strictest punishment, return to the lay state.
The Holy See said that he will also face charges for offenses committed “during his stay in Rome from August 2013 until his arrest on September 22nd, 2014.”
In September, the Vatican placed him under house arrest at the “expressed desire” of Pope Francis, “so that a case so serious and delicate would be addressed without delay.”
“With regard to the period spent in Rome, the nuncio is charged with the offence of possession of child pornography under Law VIII of 2013 introduced by Pope Francis,” the Holy See stated.
“The allegations referring to the preceding period are based on evidence transmitted by the judicial authorities of the Dominican Republic in relation to the sexual abuse of minors.”
The statement from the Holy See went on to say that the allegations against the former nuncio will be scrutinized by the judicial body. They will also hear testimony regarding evidence found on Wesołowski’s computer and evaluate “testimonial evidence from the competent authorities in the Dominican Republic.”
“This will be a delicate and detailed procedure, requiring the most careful observations and insights from all parties involved in the trial,” the statement concluded.
