Juliusz Paetz (2 February 1935 – 15 November 2019) was a Polish bishop of the
Catholic Church
The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
. He served as the
Bishop of Łomża from 1982 to 1996 and as the
Archbishop of Poznań
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdioc ...
from 1996 to 2002. In 2002, he was accused of sexually molesting seminarians and resigned the same year. Subsequently, Paetz became Archbishop Emeritus.
Despite being prohibited from exercising his ministry as a result of these accusations, he continued to do so and was never held legally accountable for the alleged sexual abuse.
Biography
Paetz was born on 2 February 1935 in
Poznań
Poznań () is a city on the River Warta in west-central Poland, within the Greater Poland region. The city is an important cultural and business centre, and one of Poland's most populous regions with many regional customs such as Saint John ...
and ordained a priest 28 June 1959 in Poznan Cathedral by Archbishop Antoni Baraniak. He worked as a curate in the parishes of Ostrow Wielkopolski and Poznan. He lived in Italy from 1967 to 1982. He worked in the Secretariat of the
Synod of Bishops. In 1976 he was appointed prelate of the Pope's anteroom. He collaborated with the Popes Paul VI, John Paul I and John Paul II. In 1981 he was awarded the Commander's Cross of the
Order of Merit of Portugal.
Bishop
On 20 December 1982, Paetz was appointed
Bishop of Łomża. He was consecrated bishop 6 January 1983 in
St. Peter's Basilica
The Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican ( it, Basilica Papale di San Pietro in Vaticano), or simply Saint Peter's Basilica ( la, Basilica Sancti Petri), is a church built in the Renaissance style located in Vatican City, the papal e ...
by Pope John Paul II and took possession of his diocese on 13 March 1983.
On 11 April 1996 he was appointed
Archbishop of Poznań
In Christian denominations, an archbishop is a bishop of higher rank or office. In most cases, such as the Catholic Church, there are many archbishops who either have jurisdiction over an ecclesiastical province in addition to their own archdioc ...
.
Abuse accusations
In 2002, Paetz was accused of sexually molesting seminarians. A Polish newspaper reported that his "'homosexual inclinations' ... had been known for at least two years and he had been refused access to a seminary by its rector". It said that a Vatican inquiry had confirmed the substance of the allegations against Paetz, which he continued to deny. He said: "I deny all the information published by the media and I assure you that it is a misinterpretation of my words and behavior.... The biggest criminals have a right to anonymity unless a court decides otherwise. I was deprived of that. Mass media have already judged me and sentenced me." Pope John Paul II called it a "grave scandal".
He accepted his resignation and placed sanctions on him, prohibiting Paetz from exercising his ministry as bishop. Paetz said: "Not everyone understood my open attitude to people and their problems."
It was reported in 2010 that
Pope Benedict XVI
Pope Benedict XVI ( la, Benedictus XVI; it, Benedetto XVI; german: link=no, Benedikt XVI.; born Joseph Aloisius Ratzinger, , on 16 April 1927) is a retired prelate of the Catholic church who served as the head of the Church and the sovereign ...
lifted these restrictions,
which Vatican spokesman
Federico Lombardi
Federico Lombardi, S.J. (born 29 August 1942) is an Italian Catholic priest and the former director of the Holy See Press Office. He succeeded Joaquín Navarro-Valls and was succeeded by Greg Burke.
Lombardi also serves as the postulator for t ...
denied saying his "rehabilitation was without foundation".
[ Paetz remained Archbishop emeritus, having been replaced in Poznań by ]Stanisław Gądecki
Stanisław Gądecki (born 1949) is the archbishop of Poznan, Poland. He is a Polish Roman Catholic church, Roman Catholic Bishop, Doctor of theology, doctor of Theological Sciences, and archbishop of Poznań since 2002. and serves as president of ...
on the day he retired in 2002. He continued to participate in episcopal ordinations and was seen on Polish TV greeting Pope Benedict XVI on his visit to Poland in 2006.[
In 2016, when Paetz planned to participate in a celebration in Poznań of the 1050th anniversary of Christianity in Poland, the Papal Nuncio to Poland, Archbishop ]Celestino Migliore
Celestino Migliore (born 1 July 1952) is an Italian Archbishop of the Catholic Church who serves as the Apostolic Nuncio to France. He previously served as
Permanent Observer of the Holy See to the United Nations. He has spent most of his caree ...
, reminded him that he was not supposed to. He wrote: "Media news about your participation in official celebrations of the anniversary of Poland's baptism has created a new situation of unnecessary and harmful commotion for the church in Poland and the Holy See. It blatantly contradicts the instructions given you." Paetz commented: "Why not? I am on home ground here."[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paetz, Juliusz
1935 births
2019 deaths
21st-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Poland
Bishops of Łomża
Bishops of Poznań
Catholic Church sexual abuse scandals in Poland
20th-century Roman Catholic archbishops in Poland