Archbishop Dies Suddenly Before He Can Stand Trial For Child Sex Abuse

The case of Jozef Wesolowski, 67, marked the first time a Vatican tribunal was held to address charges of child molestation.
From: NewNowNext

 A Polish archbishop set to stand trial for child sex abuse was found dead in his home on Friday, the Vatican is reporting.

Jozef Wesolowski, 67, died in his Vatican City residence, where he had been living under house arrest since September. His trial marked the first time a Vatican tribunal had been assembled to hear charges of child sex abuse.

Wesolowski was consecrated an archbishop by Pope John Paul, and served in Kazakhstan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan and Uzbekistan. In 2008, he was appointed nuncio to the Dominican Republic, where it’s alleged he had sexual contact with several youths age 13 to 16.

Wesolowski was also accused of having offended “Christian morality” by repeatedly logging onto child-porn sites. But his initial hearing in July was adjourned after just 10 minutes as Wesolowski was taken to an Italian hospital because of an “unexpected illness.”

Critics claimed the Vatican’s decision to extradite Wesolowski, and try him as a citizen of the Holy See, was only made to protect him from facing justice in the Dominican Republic.

No new trial date was scheduled before Wesolowski’s death, despite Pope Francis promise of a zero-tolerance approach to abuse.