In a response to mounting scandals and controversies within his diocese, Pope Francis has accepted the resignation of Polish Bishop Grzegorz Kaszak. The diocese of Sosnowiec in southwestern Poland has been shaken by recent reports of a sex party allegedly involving a male prostitute in a priest’s apartment, as well as previous violent incidents linked to the clergy under Bishop Kaszak’s leadership. Despite being several years shy of the typical retirement age of 75, the Vatican did not provide specific reasons for his resignation.
One of the incidents that prompted the resignation was an occurrence in late August, where one of Kaszak’s priests became the subject of a criminal investigation due to an incident at his apartment in Dabrowa Gornicza. Reports suggest that this incident involved a sex party and that one participant collapsed from an overdose of erectile dysfunction pills. Furthermore, the priest reportedly attempted to prevent paramedics from entering the apartment, raising questions about his conduct.
The scandal has garnered significant attention in Poland, with local media often describing it as a “gay orgy.” This has further tarnished the image of the church in a country that was once a staunchly Roman Catholic homeland, famously associated with Pope John Paul II. Poland has been undergoing a process of secularization in recent years, with increasing numbers of people distancing themselves from the church, and some even formally leaving it.
This recent sex scandal is not the first incident involving clergy in the diocese to make headlines, and it is likely that it was the proverbial “last straw” for the Vatican, prompting the Pope’s swift decision to accept Kaszak’s resignation.
However, this was not the only issue that had drawn attention. In 2010, the then-acting rector of the Sosnowiec seminary was involved in an altercation at a gay club, yet he remained in his role for over a year after the incident became public knowledge. The Holy See ultimately intervened and dissolved the seminary.
In March 2023, a 26-year-old deacon was found dead, with injuries indicating foul play. Local prosecutors determined that a 40-year-old priest was responsible for the deacon’s death before taking his own life. The two had been in a conflictual relationship, with the priest sending threatening messages to the deacon. These incidents, along with the sex party scandal, may have contributed to the Vatican’s decision to accept Bishop Kaszak’s resignation.
Kaszak, who had been appointed bishop in 2009 by Pope Benedict XVI, expressed his gratitude to the priests and nuns in his diocese and asked for forgiveness for his human limitations. The diocese corroborated media reports regarding the priest involved in the sex party, identifying him as Fr. Tomasz Z. The diocese initiated a canonical trial, which could potentially result in the defrocking or laicization of the priest.
The priest involved in the incident has not been charged by Polish prosecutors. In a statement issued shortly after the scandal broke, he denied allegations of preventing paramedics from accessing his apartment and questioned the use of the term “orgy.” He characterized the incident as an attack on the church and its clergy, aimed at undermining its position, tasks, and mission.
