Pope John Paul II ignored child abuse by priests

The story on the Dutch public broadcaster NOS included archival research that journalist Ekke Overbeek conducted for three years in Poland, where Pope John Paul II was born and bishopric.

According to the investigation in question, Pope John Paul II ignored the sexual abuse of some priests under his administration in Krakow, Poland, where he was a bishop, and did not remove them.

Pope John Paul II did not fire a priest implicated in the abuse and sent him to another diocese. According to information based on the roommate of a priest named Eugeniusz Surgent, who was accused of child abuse, Surgent repeated the abuse even though he apologized for the child abuse in the letter he wrote to John Paul II.

“HE SENT PRIESTS TO OTHER PLACES”

Another priest accused of abusing his children spoke with John Paul II.

Commenting on the investigation, Overbeek said: “I found strong evidence of child abuse by some priests in the diocese of Krakow. I found out that John Paul II, who had not yet risen to the papacy, shrugged off the abuse by sending the abusive priests elsewhere and allowing them to continue their duties, resulting in new victims appearing.” he used his statements.

Overbeek said: “The reasoning of those who did not find the church guilty in the sexual abuse scandals was based on the argument that the Pope did not know this, that he realized the seriousness of the situation too late and that this was a unique problem for churches in the United States. It turned out that this was not so. he performed the assessment of it.

In the news, stating that journalist Overbeek has prepared his research in book form and that it will soon be published in Polish, Stanislaw Obbirek, Professor of Cultural Anthropology at the University of Warsaw, has examined the first draft of the book. There is true, first-hand, and coherent historical information that shatters the myths that Jean Paul was also a saint in his youth.” comment was recorded.

In the news, American priest Tom Doyle, who studied Overbeek’s book and worked for a time at the Vatican Embassy in Washington, reads “World War II. Jean Paul was part of the problem, not the solution.” he was also included in the evaluation.

CATHOLIC CHURCH DID NOT ANSWER QUESTIONS

NOS stated that the Catholic Church and the Diocese of Krakow did not respond to the allegations about the Overbeek investigation, and that the Vatican may investigate the period in which Pope John Paul II worked in Krakow and wanted those who suffered during that period to be revealed. .

Pope John Paul II, who was the spiritual leader of the Catholic world from 1978, when he began his papacy, until his death in 2005, was Bishop of Krakow from 1958-1964.

In the report, it was noted that the archives of the Polish secret service are open to the public. (AA)