What are the accusations against Grzegorz Kaszak? The Pope accepts Polish Bishop’s resignation letter in the wake of alleged scandal

Polish Bishop Grzegorz Kaszak resigned as the head of the Sosnowiec diocese in West Poland following allegations of a s*x scandal involving a priest from his diocese. Although the normal retirement age for bishops was 75, 59-year-old Grzegorz Kaszak's resignation letter was accepted by Pop Francis on Tuesday, October 24. The Vatican did not provide a reason for the resignation.

Disclaimer: The article contains mentions of sexual acts by respected religious leaders.

Although no allegations are aimed directly at the now-resigned bishop, his diocese has been rocked by multiple scandals. The latest scandal involved a diocese priest holding what has been described by Polish media as a 'gay *rgy' with a male s*x worker who reportedly overdosed.

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The tainted history of Grzegorz Kaszak's diocese

On Tuesday, October 24, Bishop Grzegorz Kaszak, who used to be the head of the Sosnowiec diocese in West Poland, revealed that he had submitted a resignation letter on September 29 to the Vatican. Pope Francis accepted the resignation, but the Vatican did not release the reason for his resignation.

The resignation came after a s*x scandal involving a priest in Bishop Grzegorz Kaszak's diocese. The priest, identified as Tomasz Z, allegedly organized a gay s*x party at his apartment in Dabrowa Gornicza in August 2023. Polish media revealed that a male prostitute, who was present at the party, collapsed after overdosing on erectile dysfunction pills.

One of the attendees called the paramedics, but the priest allegedly refused entry for the medical team. The collapsed male s*x worker could only be given proper medical care after the police were called. The scandal placed the priest under criminal investigation for organizing the event. However, he has not yet been charged.

According to a prosecutor, quoted by The Guardian, the priest was also suspected of failure to assist a person whose life was at risk. The accused priest was dismissed from all functions by Kaszak on September 21. An in-house canonical trial was also initiated. Although the outcome of the trial has not yet been revealed, it could result in laicization or defrocking.

Grzegorz Kaszak had asked the people to pray for the priests and innocent people in the diocese who were affected by the scandal. In a statement made on Tuesday, Grzegorz Kaszak asked the diocese to forgive him for his "human limitations" and thanked the nuns, priests, and the faithful of the Sosnowiec diocese.

"I will always remember you in my prayers."

Grzegorz Kaszak had served in the Vatican's family office as the number two and was appointed Bishop by Pope Benedict XVI in 2009. Under his leadership, the Diocese of Sosnowiec has jumped into media headlines for all the wrong reasons on multiple occasions.

In 2010, a Sosnowiec seminary acting rector got into a fight in a gay club. Although the priest in question remained in the position for more than a year, the action taken by The Holy See was inevitable but quite extreme. The entire seminary was reportedly dissolved.

The Polish Press Agency (PAP) reported in March of this year about the discovery of the injured dead body of a deacon. Local prosecutors revealed that the 26-year-old deacon and a 40-year-old priest were in a tumultuous relationship. The priest allegedly killed the deacon and took his own life.