THE Vatican is to try a former papal ambassador to the Dominican Republic accused of paying for sex with minors, in a move seen as a clear sign of Pope Francis’s intention to crack down on sex abuse by clergy.

Jozef Wesolowski, a former archbishop, will be the highest-ranking Vatican official to have faced criminal charges for sex abuse when the first hearing takes place on July 11 in the city-state.

A Vatican insider said the decision to indict Wesolowski could not have been taken without the Pope’s permission. Last week the Pope ordered the creation of a further tribunal to scrutinise bishops accused of covering up scandals or accusations of sexual abuse in their diocese.

Mr Wesolowski, 66, was secretly recalled from the Dominican Republic by the Vatican in 2013 after rumours surfaced in Santo Domingo that he allegedly gave shoeshine boys money to molest them. The former archbishop allegedly frequented a beach front known as an area were child prostitutes congregated.

His withdrawal from the country caused a scandal when it was discovered he left before officials could investigate.

Mr Wesolowski was defrocked in June 2014, placed under house arrest inside the Vatican City and has been awaiting a criminal trial since then. If convicted, he could face up to 12 years in jail.

Pope Francis has also accepted the resignation of two US bishops, Archbishop John Nienstedt of St Paul and Minneapolis and one of his deputies, auxiliary Bishop Lee Piche, whose diocese faces criminal charges for failing to protect children from a sexually abusive priest. ÞA draft of the Pope’s encyclical on the state of the world’s environment was leaked in the Italian media yesterday. The document, which is not due to be released until Thursday, is expected to blame climate change on human activities.