The Vatican on Saturday signaled its willingness to compensate the victims of its former ambassador to the Dominican Republic, who died before going on trial for sexually abusing young boys.
Spokesman Rev. Federico Lombardi was asked by a Dominican reporter covering Pope Francis' trip to Cuba about the possibility of compensating the victims of the late Jozef Wesolowski, who was the Vatican's ambassador to the Caribbean nation before he was recalled as a result of the scandal.
Lombardi said any possible compensation claims should first be submitted to Dominican authorities, who could evaluate them and forward them church officials if they were justified.
Far from ruling out such claims, Lombardi signaled that the Vatican would consider them: "I don't have a concrete solution. I should say that if there's a problem, and if there's a petition it can be presented to see if there are concrete possibilities to help find a fair solution."
Wesolowski died Aug. 28 of an apparent heart attack as he was awaiting trial in a Vatican court for allegedly abusing minors. He was the highest-ranking Vatican official ever charged with the crime.
