Pedophilia: John Paul II was covering things up before he became pope

A press investigation revealed on Sunday 5 March by private Polish television DTV He assures him: Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, the future John Paul II, was aware of the acts of pedophilia committed by the priests of his diocese, that is, of Kraków, before he entered the rank of Primate, 20 minutes reports with AFP.

Transportation of priests fond of children

Wojtyla became Pope in 1978, and was previously Cardinal and Bishop of Kraków. Knowing about the pedophile’s acts, he would then move priests from one parish to another to stifle scandals, says Michal Gutowski, author of the investigation.

One of them could have been sent to Austria according to a registered letter written by the future pope, who had not yet informed Cardinal Franz König of Vienna about the accusations against this priest.

If the Archdiocese of Kraków refused access to its archives to the journalist, Gutowski was still able to interview former employees of the diocese, as well as victims of pedophile priests and their relatives to conduct his investigation. He was also able to see documents from the former communist SB secret police.

Know John Paul II

An anonymous witness confirmed that he had personally disclosed to Cardinal Wojtyla the priest’s pedophile work in 1973: “First Wojtyla wanted to make sure it wasn’t a hoax. He asked not to report it anywhere, he said he would take care of it,” he confirms before confirming. that the churchman would have expressly asked him not to make the case public.

Former US Catholic priest Thomas Doyle, who specializes in canon law, testified during the report: “What I found out is revolutionary because it shows what many people have suspected for years, which is that John Paul II knew this problem existed before he didn’t even know it. He became pope. He had to know but there was no evidence. And there, we have evidence,” notes the author of one of the first reports of clerical abuse in the United States.

It is noteworthy that a book called “Maxima Culpa: John Paul II Knew”, the result of an investigation by Dutch journalist Ekke Overbeek that includes similar accusations against Karol Wojtyla, is due to be published on Wednesday 8 March in Poland.

The Polish Church has been shaken by the many cases of pedophilia revealed by the media in recent years. The Vatican also imposed sanctions on a number of senior Polish officials.