Polish Bishop Stands Trial for Not Reporting Sexual Abuse
Andrzej Jez, bishop of Tarnow in southern Poland, is on trial at a local district court. Prosecutors allege that he violated Polish law by failing to immediately inform authorities about credible claims of sexual abuse involving two priests under his jurisdiction.
The allegations involve priests identified under Polish privacy regulations as Stanislaw P. and Tomasz K. Authorities say Jez did not notify law enforcement “without delay,” despite having access to information suggesting serious crimes against minors may have occurred.
Proceedings against Stanislaw P. were closed in 2022 due to the statute of limitations. Investigators, however, determined that the priest harmed at least 95 children and committed sexual acts against 77 of them over multiple decades in parishes in Poland and Ukraine, as stated by reports.
In a separate investigation, prosecutors brought charges in 2023 against Tomasz K., who is alleged to have sexually abused minors since at least 2018. Formal charges have not yet been presented, reportedly due to the priest’s poor health, according to reports.
Evidence gathered during these inquiries prompted prosecutors to charge Bishop Jez with failing to report the alleged crimes in a timely manner. If convicted, he could face up to three years in prison.
The case arises from 2017 amendments to Poland’s criminal code, which made it a criminal offense to fail to “immediately notify authorities” of credible information about certain serious crimes, including the sexual abuse of minors.
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