Diocese assailed on abuse lawsuit

WARSAW — A Catholic diocese in Poland apologized for having asked a court to determine whether a man who was sexually abused as a child by a priest is gay, and whether the sexual contact may have consequently been pleasurable for him.

Following wide criticism, the Bielsko-Zywiec diocese said its letter to the court should not have included questions about the victim’s sexuality or have suggested that he drew pleasure from contact with the priest. The diocese dispatched the letter in response to a lawsuit by the victim, Janusz Szymik.

“We apologize to Janusz and to all who have been scandalized” by the questions, the diocese said in a statement Thursday, vowing to change the letter’s wording.

Szymik, who is now 48, was an altar boy when the abuse began in the 1980s. He sued the diocese in a civil court last year. The priest, who has been identified only as Rev. Jan W., admitted to the abuse and in 2015 was convicted by the Vatican’s Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith.

Szymik is now seeking 3 million zlotys ($760,000) in compensation from the diocese.

The Onet news portal earlier this week disclosed the contents of court documents it obtained. The documents show the church wanting an expert “to check the plaintiff ’s sexual orientation” and to determine whether he “showed satisfaction with maintaining an intimate relationship with Rev. Jan W.” or derived any “material benefits” from the sexual relationship with the cleric.

Rev. Piotr Studnicki, the director of a special office for the protection of children within the Polish Bishops’ Conference, said that “reliable knowledge and human sensitivity” are necessary to any legal procedure.

“The issue of sexual orientation or the way a child reacts emotionally to an offense of sexual abuse cannot constitute an argument against the injured person and diminish the responsibility of the perpetrator,” Studnicki said. “It must be clear to everyone that a child never bears responsibility for violence experienced.”