As reported by the Archdiocese of Lublin, where Zbigniew Kiernikowski once worked:

Following formal reports, the Holy See conducted proceedings concerning alleged neglect by Bishop Zbigniew Kiernikowski in a case involving sexual abuse of a minor by a priest of the Diocese of Siedlce, which Bishop Kiernikowski headed from 2002 to 2014.

After the proceedings had concluded, also taking into account the difficulties in managing the Diocese of Legnica, Bishop Zbigniew Kiernikowski resigned from his ministry. The resignation was accepted today by the Holy Father.

The diocese will be led by Bishop Andrzej Siemieniewski.

Let us recall. At the beginning of June this year, we reported that Legnica Bishop Zbigniew Kiernikowski had submitted his resignation. “As I am approaching retirement age, I have already submitted my resignation from my episcopal ministry in the Diocese of Legnica to the Holy Father Francis. I hope that we will soon see the announcement of a new ordinary for the Diocese of Legnica, and I trust that his prompt assumption of the Diocese will make it easier for all of us to fulfill our priestly ministry,” Bishop Zbigniew Kiernikowski wrote in a document concerning personnel changes in the diocese.

Wrocław’s “Gazeta Wyborcza” did not spare the clergyman criticism:

In the past, the bishop covered up for priests who sexually abused others, which was now said to have influenced his departure.

Meanwhile, on tvn24.pl we read:

“Gazeta Wyborcza” [...] recalled the case of Paweł from Łuków, reported in 2019, who was sexually abused in a hospital by chaplain Stanisław B., as well as Bishop Kiernikowski’s response. “The chaplain looked around the room, [...] walked up to me and said: ‘You must be missing physical contact with a girl.’ After those words, he put his hand inside my pajama bottoms and began masturbating. I could not defend myself because my hands and the tubes in my abdomen were immobilized. I did not have the strength to shout. After about a minute, he said that the girl should finish the rest. He washed his hands in the sink next to him and, as if nothing had happened, went to distribute Holy Communion,” Paweł recounted.

The court later sentenced the aforementioned chaplain to two years in prison. The diocese’s explanation at the time (quoted by tvn24.pl):

By decree dated July 1, 2010, Bishop Zbigniew Kiernikowski transferred Father Stanisław B. from the Parish of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross in Łuków to the Parish of Our Lady of Perpetual Help in Radzyń Podlaski. The relevant documents were not preserved in the archives of the Siedlce Diocesan Curia, and Bishop Zbigniew Kiernikowski, who held office in Siedlce until May 2014, did not provide his successor, Bishop Gurda, with the reasons for this decision.

The daily “Gazeta Wyborcza” also recalled a 2004 case, writing that female students had been sexually abused during religious education classes in the Diocese of Siedlce. The perpetrator turned out to be Zbigniew Sz., the parish priest of the village of Połoski. According to GW, Bishop Kiernikowski vouched for the suspect, proposing “placing Father Zbigniew Sz. in a location where he would remain under the supervision of the bishop’s curia and be available to the prosecutor’s office and the court.” The court did not agree. Sz. was later sentenced to two years in prison. More at tvn24.pl.

“The submission of the resignation is connected with a provision of canon law, and no hidden meaning should be sought here,” said Waldemar Wesołowski, a spokesperson for the curia.Waldemar Wesołowski.

Bishop Kiernikowski versus strongman priest Artur Kaproń

The Legnica bishop made headlines several years ago when TVN showed his subordinate, Father Artur Kaproń, the parish priest in Osiecznica, at the Polish bodybuilding championships, writes Gazeta Wyborcza. Like the other competitors, he appeared in briefs. The clergyman took fourth place there and... was summoned to Bishop Kiernikowski. He later had to apologize to his parishioners.

We reported on the case several times on istotne.pl, including in the articles See how the priest from Osiecznica wiggles his athletic backside and Bodybuilder priest apologizes for scandalizing the faithful.