Polish priest’s rape victims to sue Catholic Church for US$2.1M

Santo Domingo.- The Observatory of Human Rights for Vulnerable Groups – ODHGV – on Tuesday announced that the six families whose boys  were victims of rape by Polish-born priest Nojache Wodciek (Padre Alberto Gil), in Juncalito, Santiago, will sue the Catholic Church for RD$100.0 (US$2.1) million in damages.

ODHGV spokesman Juan Alberto Francisco said despite that Gil’s victims are being helped legally and psychologically, the Catholic Church has yet to refer to the case.

He stressed that their lawsuit seeks to get the Catholic Church condemned for its civil responsibility and that beyond the economic compensation, ensure that the religious institution vets the people under its control.

“When you knock on the doors of Santo Domingo’s new Archbishop, unfortunately the response he gives us is that he doesn’t know the case and will analyze it. It’s impossible that after so many years, the Church does not know this case,” Francisco said.

Gils is currently under house arrest in his native Poland, where h e was on a separate case.

Another Polish national, bishop and former Vatican envoy to Dominican Republic, Jozef Wesolowsky, was also charged with raping boys in the country, and was indicted by the Holy See, where he died in custody in early 2016.