The former Dominican Republic ambassador of the Vatican has been order under house arrest on Tuesday following the commencement of a criminal proceeding against him. The decision to impose such penalty and move forward with a criminal trial marked the first time that a prominent official from the Vatican was actually investigated for sexual abuse charges on youngsters.

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Former ambassador Josef Wesolowski had been reportedly defrocked by the Vatican in June after officials from the canon law court found him guilty of violating their code by abusing young boys during his reign. Accordingly, the officials meted out the most severe punishment under church law-laicization or reverting to the life of a layman.

Subsequently, a separate criminal court in Vatican City commenced a preliminary hearing on the alleged sexual abuse case and directed Wesolowski to be placed under house arrest.

In a statement, investigators explained that a more preventive measure could have been ordered had Wesolowski not presented medical documents citing health issues that required consideration. According to officials, the police barracks of the Vatican only had limited detention and no long-term facilities.  

The case against Wesolowski first came to light when he was recalled by the Holy See in August, 2013. This decision was made after Pope Francis learned from the Santo Domingo archbishop that rumors had been going around concerning the former ambassador's sexually abusive activities.

According to the archbishop, teenage boys living in the Caribbean country had been sexually abused by Wesolowski. The victims claimed that the former Wesolowski paid them to masturbate.

These claims then alerted the Dominican authorities, who initially failed to press charges as Wesolowski had diplomatic immunity due to his post.

The move to defrock him, however, consequently eliminated the diplomatic immunity he once enjoyed. This then prompted a court in Santo Domingo to be the first to take steps towards securing that Wesolowski was charged and punished for the alleged abuses. Polish prosecutors initiated an investigation on the allegations as well.

If found guilty of the charges against him, the former ambassador could be imprisoned. However, it is yet to be determined if Wesolowski would be detained inside the Vatican or in an Italian prison.

In a statement from the office of the Dominican Republic's attorney general on Tuesday, the agency is asking for detailed information with regard the decision of the Vatican to place the ex-ambassador under house arrest.

In addition, the office also seeks to analyze the criminal trial commenced regarding this issue. To date, Attorney General Francisco Dominguez Brito is said to be planning to comment on the issue after all information connected with the case had been gathered and analyzed.

TagsVatican, archbishop, Sexual Abuse, Dominican Republic, Josef Wesolowski, Pope Francis, santo domingo