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Dear Pope Leo XIV,

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I am writing to you today on behalf of myself and other former seminarians I know personally who were sex trafficked to the United States from Poland and South America. Most of us were either dismissed from formation or coerced into leaving the seminary after we were sexually abused. I was sexually assaulted by the late ex-Cardinal Theodore McCarrick on May 6, 1994, and was drugged and sodomized by the late Msgr. Edward Staub on March 23, 1996. Based on my personal experience as an abused sex-trafficked Catholic seminarian, you can understand why I believe the Catholic Church’s work with immigrants is problematic and needs to be investigated by the Trump Administration for criminal activity.

I was 23 years old when I came to the U.S. in 1989 from Poland to complete my studies for the priesthood at Christ the King Seminary in Buffalo. After being sexually harassed and witnessing young men and boys being preyed upon by priests and bishops, I reported this to Church officials of the Buffalo Diocese. When my reports were covered up (which included accusations against Buffalo Auxiliary Bishop Edward Grosz), I reported the abuse and cover-ups to Pope John Paul II and his secretary, Monsignor Stanislaw Dziwisz. When my correspondence to the Pope was simply returned to the complicit Buffalo diocesan officials, I was dismissed from the diocese and referred to the Archdiocese of Newark only to be sexually assaulted by then-Archbishop Theodore McCarrick at his New Jersey beach house. The Buffalo chancery then arranged for me to study for the Archdiocese of Baltimore. Unfortunately, while working in a parish in Severna Park, MD, I was sexually assaulted by the pastor, Monsignor Edward Staub, whose abuse was covered up by the late Cardinal William Keeler. Although I was promised that I would be ordained a priest if I did not report the criminal sexual assault to civil authorities, I was dismissed just prior to my ordination date and offered a one-way ticket back to Poland.

While I was able to bring suit against McCarrick and the Archdiocese of Newark owing to a lifting of the statute of limitations, Maryland did not open the window for cases involving victims who were vulnerable adults at the time of the abuse. I can provide a list of predator priests and bishops who molested me and others, almost none of whom were disciplined or removed from ministry. My abuse experience has led me to conclude that the Catholic Church in the U.S. is infected with predatory homosexual bishops and priests who abuse boys and vulnerable adults; who cover up for each other; and who persecute heterosexual seminarians and priests whom they fear will report their sexual predation or out them for their homosexual behavior. Until the Church removes such men from the episcopacy and priesthood, it cannot be trusted to care for children, teenagers, and vulnerable adults. While thousands of priests and bishops have been accused of abuse, only a very small percentage have been convicted. Most abuse victims do not find justice within the Catholic Church as only 8 out of over 150 bishops worldwide found guilty of abusing minors and vulnerable adults have been laicized to date, Sadly, Pope Francis had a long history of covering up abuse both before and after his papal election.

I join my voice to that of my abuse victims’ advocate, Monsignor Eugene Gomulka, a canceled whistleblower priest who himself sent you an open letter that was received by the Nunciature in Washington, D.C. at 2:01 PM on May 10, 2025. We ask that you side with victims and advocates and discipline clerics who engage in or cover up abuse. If you would like to know more details about my abuse experiences, my advocate has written a case summary with supportive documentation which you can access at www.gomulka.net/Walawender.pdf.

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I look forward to hearing back from you in the near future.

Sincerely in Christ,

Wieslaw J. Walawender

CC: Vice President J.D. Vance

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