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Polish Bishop Andrzej Jeż was convicted for failing to report to the authorities the abuse committed by two priests against minors

Riana Gegiu

29 October 2026, 13:41

International

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Polish Bishop Andrzej Jeż was convicted on Thursday by a court in Tarnów for failing to promptly notify the authorities about sexual abuse committed against minors by two priests from his diocese. The ruling, which is not final, sets a precedent in Poland, marking the first criminal conviction of a bishop for covering up such acts.

The court ordered 25% of the bishop’s monthly salary to be withheld, with the money to be donated to a foundation for child protection. Jeż must also pay approximately €2,300 to the state fund supporting victims. Prosecutors had sought a 10-month suspended prison sentence, while the defense had requested an acquittal.

The case concerns the period from 2017 to 2020, when the bishop allegedly received credible information about abuse committed by Stanislaw P., accused of assaulting dozens of boys, and by Tomasz K. Jeż pleaded not guilty and cited the ambiguity of the legislation, arguing that a bishop cannot be considered globally responsible for the actions of clergy members.

The July 2017 reform of the Criminal Code introduced a legal obligation to immediately report sexual abuse of children, an offense punishable by up to three years in prison. The scandals have affected trust in the Catholic Church, which fell from 58% in 2016 to 35% in 2025, according to IBRiS.

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Context: convictions and measures taken in cases of sexual abuse in religious institutions

Before the case of Polish Bishop Andrzej Jeż, authorities continued to investigate cases related to sexual abuse committed by clergy, and there were also convictions or sanctions. The Catholic Archdiocese of New York announced an $800 million compensation settlement for approximately 1,300 people who said they had been abused by priests.

In Romania, the Diocese of Huși removed from ministry a priest arrested for sexual assaults against underage girls, while in Bihor a former school principal was indicted for four sexual assaults against students, acts that prosecutors claim took place between 2024–2026.

Sentences were also handed down in other countries: former Australian Catholic Bishop Christopher Saunders was sentenced to six and a half years in prison for sexual abuse of two Indigenous young men, while in another case in Romania, former priest Cristian Pomohaci was accused of child pornography, with investigators mentioning the existence of 286 files depicting minors in sexual poses.