Poland vows firm penalties for sex abuse amid church crisis

WARSAW, Poland — Poland’s prime minister is vowing tougher punishments for those who sexually abuse minors after a new film spurred the country into grappling with the problem of abuse by priests.

The documentary “Tell No One” has triggered soul searching in the deeply Catholic country since it was released on Saturday on YouTube.

Shock over the allegations that abuse was covered up poses a challenge to Poland’s right-wing government, which is close to the Roman Catholic church. Only recently the head of the ruling party, Jaroslaw Kaczynski, spoke of an “attack” on the church over earlier efforts to confront the culture of impunity within the church.

Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said Tuesday his government has prepared legislation to more severely punish the “degenerate, disgusting” crimes of pedophilia.

The Associated Press