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Vatican ex-envoy Wesolowski dies ahead of abuse trial | |
(35 minutes later) | |
Jozef Wesolowski, a former archbishop and Vatican envoy to the Dominican Republic, has died before he could be tried for child sex offences. | |
His trial in the Vatican was adjourned in July after he was taken ill. | |
He was accused of paying for sex with children in the Dominican Republic. | |
Wesolowski, 66, would have been the first high-ranking church official to be tried on paedophile charges. His case was seen as a test of the Vatican's pledge to stamp out abuse. | |
Last year, the Pope compared the actions of those who commit such crimes to a "satanic mass". | |
Wesolowski was charged with abusing children in the Dominican Republican between 2008-13. | |
He was also charged with possession of child pornography, dating from his return to Rome in 2013. | |
The charges have been seen as part of a crackdown by Pope Francis on clerics and employees of the Church who exploit minors. |