Polish priest denies abusing boys as Dominican indictment proceeds: EFE

Warsaw.- Polish priest Wojciech Gil, charged with sexually abusing at least 15 boys in the Dominican Republic, on Friday denied the accusations, and said his only fault was placing too much trust on the youngsters, EFE reports.

"I haven’t inflicted any harm on the children, and if I must apologize it’s for my naiveté in trusting these people too much," said the prelate by phone to Polish TVP Info.

Gil (Padre Alberto) remains with his family in Poland since the allegations of the abuse of the boys surfaced, and for now doesn’t intend to return to the Dominican Republic, where he headed the parish at the central mountain town of Juncalito.

In addition to Gil, Polish bishop and former Vatican envoy to the Dominican Republic Jozef Wesolowski, former apostolic nuncio, is also accused of sexually abusing of boys on the island.

For its part, Poland’s Office of the Prosecutor launched an investigation, for which Attorney General Andrzej Seremet, has already contacted Dominican counterpart for the two countries to collaborate in the probe.

Poland Office of the Prosecutor spokesman Mateusz Martyniuk on Friday confirmed to local media that Dominican prosecutors will "soon" send all documents from the investigation leading to the indictment in the Caribbean nation. "When we receive these documents we will decide the next steps."