In the first ever case of the Vatican turning to the criminal justice system, former Vatican high ranking official Józef Weso?owski will face a court tomorrow on allegations of pedophilia.
This case is set to test Pope Francis’s seriousness in pursuing the punishment of priests involved in sexual abuses scandals. The Vatican has come under increasing pressure over the years for shielding priests from facing justice even after series of scandals.
There are several allegations that as Diplomat to the Dominican Republic, 66 year old Józef Weso?owski paid underage boys to perform sexual acts. A couple of boys have come out to substantiate this claim.
In a first of its kind case, the world will be watching to see the manner in which the case is conducted and it will lay the marker for Vatican responses to similar issues in the future.