Polish archbishop quits over sneaking through tunnel to seminary dormitory

A POLISH archbishop accused of sexually abusing young clerics after sneaking into their dormitory through a tunnel has resigned, casting a shadow over Easter celebrations.
  Archbishop Juliusz Paetz, 67, bowed to intense pressure to step down following claims by fellow priests that he had molested young seminarians in late-night visits to their lodgings.
  Denying sexual misconduct and claiming that his gestures had been misinterpreted, the archbishop told a congregation in the western Polish city of Poznan that he was relinquishing his post to protect the unity and stability of the Catholic Church.
  "Not everyone understood my genuine openness and spontaneity towards people," he said in a farewell address. "There was a misinterpretation of my words and gestures."
  As the Vatican confirmed that the resignation on Thursday [Mar 28 02] had been accepted, Pope John Paul made a clear reference to the scandal in his native Poland as he called on the world's 400,000 priests to confess their infidelities.
  "Let us pray for our brothers who have failed to live up to the commitments required of their priestly ordination or who are going through a time of difficulty or crisis," he said at a Mass in St Peter's basilica, Rome.
  The disgraced archbishop worked closely with the Pope from 1978 until 1982, organising his travel schedule.
  The scandal has traumatised the religious establishment in Poland, where 95 per cent of people are nominally Catholic and the Church holds enormous influence. Other Polish clerics welcomed the resignation.
  "This was the only decision open to an individual whose dignity and trust have been shattered," Bishop Tadeusz Pieronek said. -- THE TELEGRAPH GROUP, LONDON