A Polish newspaper closes its investigation into John Paul II: as a cardinal, he did not cover up pedophilia and, on the contrary, acted promptly even before civil authorities.

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How did John Paul II handle abuse cases when he was Archbishop of Krakow?

Now, finally, evidence has emerged thanks to an investigation by a secular Polish newspaper that is usually critical of the Church: neither state archives nor Church archives contain evidence that he covered up cases of pedophilia.

On the contrary, in many cases he acted promptly and in ways that were unprecedented for the standards of the time.

 

In 2023, the campaign against Wojtyla

This is news that, of course, no one will report, yet in 2023 a very strong media campaign was launched against Wojtyla.

Here are some headlines from major newspapers:

• “John Paul II covered up abuse of minors when he was a cardinal” (“Le Monde”);
• “John Paul II knew about abuse when he was archbishop” (“Associated Press”);
• “John Paul II covered up pedophilia” (“Euronews”);
• “Wojtyla knew about sexual abuse since he was Archbishop of Krakow” (“Domani”)

In April 2023, the monument to Wojtyla in Krakow was even defaced with the words “Maxima culpa”.

Only the Polish historian Lucja Marek, a researcher at the Institute of National Remembrance (IPN), publicly defended the Polish Pope, explaining that the accusations were misleadingly produced by communist secret services.

Today, that “maxima culpa” has proven to be unfounded.

 

The (secular) investigation by the Polish newspaper

This was discovered by the economic and legal newspaper “Rzeczpospolita“, based in Warsaw, editorially independent and at times critical of the Church.

After obtaining access to previously unavailable documents from the Metropolitan Curia of Krakow, journalists conducted a detailed analysis of cases involving priests accused and, in some instances, convicted of abuse of minors during the period when Wojtyla was archbishop, between 1962 and 1978.

They were thus able to conclude that there is no direct evidence of a cover-up by Cardinal Wojtyla.

Not only that, here is what they write:

“Our research shows that Cardinal Karol Wojtyla did not transfer priests from one parish to another after learning of their criminal activities, but instead acted swiftly, and some of his decisions were unusual for the time.”

And again:

“We found no evidence that Cardinal Karol Wojtyla knowingly covered up cases of pedophilia, and the transfers of priests were due to their conflict-prone nature.”

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Wojtyla acted even before the police

In several cases (including the most well-known ones of Eugeniusz Surgent and Józef Loranc), documents show that Wojtyla ordered the suspension from ministry of accused priests, removed them from their parishes, and imposed restrictions even before civil authorities completed their investigations.

According to the investigation, a particularly significant decision dates back to 1969, when Wojtyla ordered a psychiatric evaluation for a priest suspected of abusing minors—an action described as completely unprecedented in the historical context.

In several cases, as reported by “Rzeczpospolita”, “Wojtyla’s decisions preceded the intervention of law enforcement.”

The most “sensitive” case concerned Bolesław Saduś, as the transfer of the priest to Austria was documented.

However, according to the newly examined documents, “there is no evidence that Wojtyla was aware of his alleged abuses, and his transfer to Austria does not represent an attempt at concealment.” The Institute of National Remembrance reached the same conclusion.

 

The accusations of communist secret services

These elements represent a turning point for public opinion, which had been strongly influenced by interpretations derived from controversial sources.

Unfortunately, neither in Italy nor abroad will this news likely be picked up by anyone.

It should be recalled that the accusations against the Polish Pope originated from a Polish television investigation based on documents from the archives of the communist secret services, which are far from reliable.

Their fabrication of false dossiers aimed at discrediting the Catholic Church—one of the regime’s main opponents—is well known.

Moreover, in the 1960s and 1970s, the issue of abuse in society at large followed very different standards from those of today. In the West, there was even a push toward sexual hedonism that led some to view pedophilia as a form of sexual liberation for minors.

Only decades later was the phenomenon recognized in its full systemic gravity, leading to stricter reforms by all institutions, including the Catholic Church itself. It is no coincidence that, as we have documented, almost all accusations of pedophilia in the Church date back to the 1960s cultural revolution period.

As for Pope John Paul II, it was precisely he who introduced important reforms to the Church’s legal framework regarding sexual abuse.