The Vatican has accepted the resignation of Bishop Grzegorz Kaszak, the head of the diocese of Sosnowiec in southwestern Poland. The resignation comes in the wake of reports of a gay orgy involving a male prostitute in a priest’s apartment, as well as previous violent incidents involving clergy in the diocese.
The Vatican did not provide a reason for Bishop Kaszak’s resignation, but the recent scandal involving the alleged gay orgy appears to have been the final straw. One of the priests involved in the purported orgy, Fr. Tomasz Z., is currently under criminal investigation. Polish media reported that one of the participants collapsed after overdosing on erectile dysfunction pills, and the priest is suspected of failing to provide assistance to the individual.
This is not the first incident involving clergy in the diocese of Sosnowiec. In 2010, the acting rector of the Sosnowiec seminary was involved in a scuffle at a gay club. The Holy See eventually dissolved the seminary. In March 2023, a 26-year-old deacon was found dead with injuries suggesting homicide. Local prosecutors revealed that he had been killed by a 40-year-old priest who then committed suicide.
Bishop Kaszak, who was appointed in 2009 by Pope Benedict XVI, offered his resignation on September 29. In a statement, he thanked the priests and nuns of his diocese and asked for forgiveness for his human limitations. The diocese has dismissed Fr. Tomasz Z. from all functions and initiated an in-house canonical trial, which could result in defrocking.
The Polish Catholic Church has been grappling with allegations of sexual abuse involving clergy for several years, leading to the forced resignations of several bishops and tarnishing the church’s reputation in Poland, the homeland of St. John Paul II. Archbishop Adrian Galbas of Katowice will serve as the temporary administrator of the diocese of Sosnowiec until a new bishop is appointed.
