Ex-archbishop dies ahead of paedophilia trial

Polish-born Jozef Wesolowski, 67, was found slumped in front of his television. The Vatican said in an official statement that it appeared the disgraced former prelate had died of natural causes.

An autopsy was to be carried out during the day and the results were expected to be published as soon as possible, the Vatican said.

Wesolowski's death came six weeks after his landmark trial was suspended only seven minutes into the hearing because of an undisclosed illness, which resulted in the accused being hospitalized on the eve of its start. He was charged with possessing child pornography in Rome in 2013-14, and of the sexual abuse of minors during his stint as the Vatican nuncio, or ambassador, in the Dominican Republic between 2008 and 2013.

Abuse victims in Dominican Republic

Dominican authorities identified four victims, aged between 13 and 16 at the time, who were willing to testify against the cleric. Wesolowski had allegedly paid young Dominican shoeshine boys to perform sex acts on him.

The Dominican Republic failed in its attempt to have Wesolowski extradited to stand trial in the Caribbean. Poland's public prosecution service was also investigating the allegations, but a spokesman in Warsaw said Friday that the case was to be dropped.

Wesolowski was placed under house arrest in September 2014 following the decision to pursue criminal charges against him in the Vatican. He was also defrocked the same year.

Pope Francis takes hard line on child abuse

Both moves were ordered by Pope Francis. Earlier this year, the pontiff had announced plans to create an internal church tribunal empowered to punish bishops who failed to act on allegations of abuse against clerics in their dioceses. Francis has also established a commission of experts, including abuse victims, to advise him on reforms.

Although Francis has been widely praised for taking decisive action on an issue which had badly tarnished the standing of the church, some critics say his initiatives remain insufficient. The new church tribunal initiative has been welcomed by some survivors' groups, but others say it repeats the mistakes of the past as it leaves clerics in charge of deciding the fate of other clerics.

A protege of John Paul II

Wesolowski had been a priest since 1972 and owed his high-flying career to former pontiff John Paul II, who ordained him when he was the archbishop of Krakow and then named him as a bishop in 2000. He served as a papal nuncio in Bolivia and several Asian countries before taking up his post in the Dominican Republic in 2008.

ss/lw (AFP, dpa)