Polish bishop convicted of failing to report sexual abuse of minors by 2 priests

WARSAW, Oct 29 – Polish Bishop Andrzej Jez was convicted on Thursday of failing to notify authorities about the ​sexual abuse of minors by two priests ‌from his diocese, in the highest-profile case of its kind involving a Catholic Church leader in Poland.The case is the ​latest in a series of clergy abuse ​scandals that have eroded trust in the church ⁠in one of Europe’s most devoutly Catholic nations.In ​2024, a bishop and an archbishop resigned over negligence in ​handling sexual abuse cases.The court in the southern city of Tarnow sentenced Jez to two years of restriction of liberty to ​be carried out through deductions from his salary, ​PAP news agency reported.The verdict is not final.Jez had ‌pleaded ⁠not guilty to the charges.

In his testimony, he explained the delay in reporting by citing the ambiguity of criminal regulations and the specific circumstances of ​the individual cases, ​PAP said.While ⁠many Poles still regard the Catholic faith as a core part of their ​national identity, cases of sexual abuse involving ​priests ⁠mean increasing numbers say they have lost confidence in the church.A 2025 poll by Polish pollster IBRiS showed ⁠that ​the percentage of Poles who ​say they trust the Catholic Church had fallen to 35% from 58% ​in 2016....