The diocese said in a Sept. 22 press statement that it had become aware from media reports of an orgy held the night of Aug. 30 in a building belonging to the Parish of St. Blessed Virgin Mary of the Angels in the city of Dąbrowa Górnicza. According to reports, emergency services were called for a prostitute who lost consciousness during the course of the night.
The diocese said it was investigating the incident and that there was no doubt about the participation of a priest identified as Father Tomasz Z., who was subsequently “deprived of all Church offices and functions until the matter is resolved.” The priest was also sent away from his parish.
“Church law provides for the most severe penalties for clergy who have committed such offenses, up to and including expulsion from the clerical state,” the statement said.
A Sept. 29 statement from the diocesan curia said the Diocese of Sosnowiec “maintains its will to fully clarify the matter and punish those responsible for the scandal, in accordance with the provisions of Church law.”
“We are aware of the harm done to all the faithful, whose faith could have been wounded and shaken in the face of these events, as well as the righteous indignation of public opinion,” it said. “The harm suffered by the person involved in the incident in Dąbrowa Górnicza who needed medical help is also important to us.”
According to local media, the alleged orgy was just the latest in a series of scandals involving priests in the Sosnowiec Diocese.