Vatican’s new Dominican Republic envoy arrives amid pedophilia scandals

Santo Domingo.- The Vatican’s new envoy Jude Thaddeus Okolo will arrive Monday in the country, where two of his Catholic Church colleagues are at the center of major scandals involving the alleged sexual abuse of minors.

Citing sources, elnuevodiario.com.do reports that Dominican ambassador in the Vatican Victor Grimaldi on Sunday hosted a sendoff for Okolo, just months after his predecessor Jósef Wesolowski, from Poland, was ousted as the scandal surfaced of his alleged pedophilia.

Catholic priest and Polish national Wojciech Gil was also indicted for allegedly abusing boys in the town of Juncalito, Santiago Province.

Okolo’s farewell at the Dominican Embassy came after he met with Pope Francis.

The new envoy was born December 18, 1956, in Kano, Nigeria, where he was ordained priest on July 2, 1983.