Nuncio to Dominican Republic Recalled to Vatican While under Investigation for Sexual Abuse of a Minor

The nuncio to the Dominican Republic, Archbishop Josef Wesolowski, came under investigation by local authorities in 2013 after he was accused of sexually abusing several teenage boys. Subsequently, the Vatican recalled Wesolowski to Rome in a move that Vatican spokesperson Fr. Federico Lombardi assured was “in no way an attempt to help him avoid responsibility for whatever is eventually ascertained.”

As a Vatican ambassador, Wesolowski could potentially be sheltered by the Holy See indefinitely because of its diplomatic immunity. Nevertheless, Attorney General Francisco Dominguez Brito said, “We will not allow anyone to use the Catholic Church or other religious institutions as a shield to commit illegal acts, especially against -children,” according to the Irish Independent.

Wesolowski was the second Catholic cleric to be publicly accused of sexual abuse in the country during 2013. The other reports of abuse related to his friend, Fr. Alberto Gil Wojciech, who allegedly transported altar boys to Wesolowski’s home. The locations of both clergymen are uncertain, and Brito has issued an order for Wojciech’s detention through Interpol, according to Telemundo.