Jozef
Wesolowski, a former archbishop accused of child sex abuse, has been
hospitalized hours before a trial against him was set to open at the Vatican.
The unprecedented trial is likely to be adjourned to a later date.
Deutsche Welle, 11 July 2015
The
66-year-old former archbishop was placed in intensive care at a Vatican
hospital, Holy See officials said Saturday, just hours before a trial against
him was set to begin.
The details
about Jozef Wesolowski's medical condition have not been disclosed.
The former
Polish archbishop and papal ambassador to the Dominican Republic was set to
stand a trial on Saturday for possessing child pornographic material in Rome
during 2013-14 and sexually abusing minors during his stint as Vatican
ambassador between 2008 and 2013.
Wesolowski
was recalled to Rome in 2013 after local media accused him of paying young boys
to perform sexual acts. He was defrocked by a Church court in June last year
and was then put under house arrest on the orders of Pope Francis in September.
Vatican inspectors found pornographic material on his computer following his
arrest.
The Vatican
has long been accused of not taking action against church officials allegedly
involved in child molestation, but Pope Francis vowed to clean up the church
after succeeding Pope Benedict in February, 2013.
Under a new
justice system redesigned by the Argentine pontiff, the judge, the defense
lawyer and prosecutors are all civilians.
"The
(pornography) case is based on an offence introduced to Vatican legislation by
Francis in 2013. The other involves sexual abuse of minors prosecuted on the
case assembled by legal authorities of Santo Domingo," the Vatican said in
a statement ahead of the trial.
"These
serious allegations will be scrutinized by the competent judicial body, which
will be assisted by both technical appraisals of the IT systems used by the
defendant and, if necessary, international legal cooperation for the evaluation
of testimonial evidence from the competent authorities in Santo Domingo,"
it added.
If
convicted, Wesolowski could face up to six years in prison.
shs/jlw (AFP, AP, Reuters)
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