Polish Church Apologizes for Child Sex Abuse
Source: Associated Press
Polish Church Apologizes for Child Sex Abuse
WARSAW, Poland September 27, 2013 (AP)
By MONIKA SCISLOWSKA Associated Press
A senior official of Poland's Catholic Church apologized Friday to the victims of pedophile priests while prosecutors said they will probe allegations that two Polish priests, including a Vatican envoy, sexually abused boys in the Dominican Republic.
Secretary of the Episcopate Bishop Wojciech Polak told a news conference the church was seeking to make amends, also among Dominican victims, and work on prevention.
"The victims have been profoundly wronged," Polak said. "It is a very painful situation and we sympathize with the victims because their trust has been violated."
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But he said that any legal responsibility and financial compensation ordered by a court rested with the convicted wrongdoer, not with the church. He was addressing reporters in relation to both the allegations in the Dominican Republic and those in Poland, where some 27 priests have been convicted since 2001. Polak said the figure was the "tip of an iceberg" because acts of pedophilia are kept secret, while it takes many years for the victims to speak out.
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