The Diocese of Iași and the Vatican are accused of covering up a sexual assault committed by a Catholic priest against a minor from Bacău.

A Roman Catholic priest from Bacău County was convicted of sexual abuse of a minor aged 13. According to an investigation by PressOne, the bishop of Iași, Iosif Păuleț, was aware of this case since 2022. Although he applied canonical sanctions, the bishop did not report it to the police or the prosecutor's office, managing the case exclusively within the Catholic Church.

The Vatican's norms recommend cooperation with authorities in cases of abuse, but the Church chose to limit intervention to administrative measures. The Romanian state intervened only after the Bacău prosecutor's office took notice of the case ex officio, and the priest was sentenced in 2024 to four years in prison. Bishop Păuleț considered the Church's internal mechanisms sufficient, and the spokesperson for the Diocese stated that they maintained contact with the authorities, referring to the bishop's hearing four days after the priest's arrest. The priest is currently incarcerated in Vaslui Penitentiary.