‘Gay orgy’ at Polish church sparks scandal
The Catholic Church in Poland is tackling a major scandal involving priests allegedly holding a “gay orgy” on the premises of a historic church and denying medics access to a hired sex worker, who collapsed during the incident.
This story of the sinful party gone awry in the southern Polish city of Dabrowa Gornicza was first reported by the daily Gazeta Wyborcza last week, based on the accounts of its sources in local law enforcement, and is believed to have taken place in August.
The party was reportedly organized by a priest of the Basilica of Saint Mary of the Angels, a neo-gothic city landmark built at the turn of the 20th century. The organizer of the gathering was identified as a ‘Father Tomasz Z.,’ who invited his fellow clerics and the male prostitute to his official apartment at the church, the newspaper said.
The assembly was described as “purely sexual in nature” and involved erection-enhancing drugs. At some point, “the situation got out of control,” and the gigolo lost consciousness, prompting others to call an ambulance.
When paramedics arrived, their behavior turned from scandalous to potentially criminal, as the priests allegedly refused to let the emergency crew in. The rescuers called the police for help, believing the patient’s life could be at risk.
Obstruction of medical assistance in such a case can land a person in jail for up to three years, a district prosecutor spokesman told Wyborcza.
Reacting to the coverage, the Sosnowiec Diocese has launched an investigation into the “orgy at the rectory,” as Polish media branded the scandal. The curia later said its findings “so far differ from the information presented by some media,” without detailing the purported discrepancies.
An apology letter penned by Bishop Grzegorz Kaszak was read to congregations in all churches of the diocese during last Sunday's mass. Kaszak vowed that there would be “no consent to moral evil.”
The disgraced priest’s superiors said on Friday that he was stripped of all church functions, and he is refusing any contact with the press.
Amid the scandal, an arsonist set the church’s doors on fire on Thursday. Firefighters quickly extinguished the flames, and police took a suspect, who was identified as a 38-year-old local city resident, into custody.
