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A Catholic diocese in Poland apologised on Thursday for having asked a court to determine whether a man who was sexually abused as a child by a priest is gay, and whether the sexual contact may have consequently been pleasurable for him.
Following wide criticism, the Bielsko-Zywiec diocese said that its letter to the court should not have included questions about the victim's sexuality or have suggested that he drew pleasure from contact with the priest. The diocese dispatched the letter in response to a lawsuit by the victim, Janusz Szymik.
'We apologise to Janusz and to all who have been scandalised' by the questions, the diocese said in a statement, vowing to change the letter's wording.
Bielsko-Zywiec diocese in Poland apologised for asking whether a sex abuse victim was gay or enjoyed the 'intimate' moments
Poland's Catholic bishops had already strongly criticised the southern Polish diocese.
Szymik, who is now 48, was an altar boy when the abuse began in the 1980s. He sued the diocese in a civil court last year.
The priest, who has been identified only as Rev. Jan W., admitted to the abuse and in 2015 was convicted by the Vatican's Congregation of the Doctrine of the Faith.
Szymik is now seeking 3 million
