Penalties for the bishop of Tarnow
Andrzej Jez, the bishop of Tarnow, received a non-custodial sentence for failing to report child sex abuse allegations against priests under his authority. The court handed him a sentence of restriction of liberty. He must donate 25% of his salary for two years to the Empowering Children Foundation (Dajemy Dzieciom Sile). He must also pay 20,000 zloty to the Fund for Assistance to Victims and Post-Penitentiary Assistance. Following a review of the written justification, the diocese of Tarnow will file an appeal because it disagrees with the court’s ruling. Prosecutors originally sought a 10-month prison sentence, suspended for three years, and a fine of 20,000 zloty, which is €4,550.
| Penalty Detail | Amount/Condition |
|---|---|
| Salary donation | 25% for two years |
| Victim fund payment | 20,000 zloty |
The case involves allegations against two priests, Stanislaw P. and Tomasz K., who worked under the authority of Jez. Prosecutors concluded that Stanislaw P. harmed at least 95 children and committed "sexual acts" against 77 of them over several decades in parishes in Poland and Ukraine. Jez notified the prosecutor’s office in 2020. An internal church probe into Stanislaw P. began in the 2000s and officials decided to remove him from the clergy in 2013. Prosecutor Marcin Stepien said the delay in reporting the abuse allowed the statute of limitations to expire for some of Stanislaw P.’s victims after media coverage brought the allegations to light.
Delayed reports and priest misconduct
Jez denied the allegations and sought an acquittal. He argued he reported the abuse as soon as credible information arrived. Tomasz K. allegedly abused children starting in 2018, but prosecutors cannot formally present charges because of his poor health. In 2023, prosecutors decided to charge Tomasz K., but they have been unable to present the charges to him because of his health. Jez notified prosecutors about the case of Tomasz K. in 2021. In 2022, prosecutors stopped the investigation into Stanislaw P. because the statute of limitations expired. This conviction is the first ruling of its kind in Poland regarding a bishop’s failure to report such information. The 2017 law makes it a criminal offence not to "immediately notify the authorities" of "credible information" about sexual abuse of minors. In February, a commission in the diocese of Sosnowiec identified 50 harmed children and 29 suspects, mostly clergy. The Vatican removed the bishop of Lowicz, Andrzej Dziuba, in 2024 because of his negligence in handling cases of sexual abuse against minors.
