A Polish Catholic archbishop has asked for a coadjutor following a Vatican probe into his handling of clerical abuse cases. The archdiocese of Kraków announced on July 9 the conclusions of the investigation into the actions of Archbishop Wiktor Skworc of Katowice, southern Poland. In a statement, Kraków archdiocese said that the Vatican had investigated claims that Skworc behaved negligently concerning abuse cases involving two priests of the Diocese of Tarnów, which Skworc led from 1998 to 2011. Tarnów, in southeastern Poland, is a suffragan diocese of the Metropolitan Archdiocese of Kraków. The inquiry was conducted according to the provisions of the Code of Canon Law and Pope Francis’ 2019 motu proprio Vos estis lux mundi. The Kraków archdiocese statement said that Archbishop Skworc had requested the investigation himself and that, following its conclusion, he had asked for a coadjutor archbishop, who would assist him with the administration of the archdiocese. The 73-year-old archbishop resigned as a member of the permanent council of the Polish bishops’ conference. He also resigned as chairman of the Polish bishops’ committee for pastoral care In addition, he promised to contribute from his private funds to the expenses of Tarnów diocese related to issues of sexual abuse. Since November 2020, the Vatican has disciplined a series of mainly retired Polish bishops after investigating negligence claims.
Polish Catholic Archbishop Asks for Coadjutor After Vatican Negligence Probe| National Catholic Register
Polish Catholic Archbishop Asks for Coadjutor After Vatican Negligence Probe| National Catholic Register
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