The case of the controversial priest returns. Piotr Glas. The court issued an important judgment

Consideration of the appeal of Fr. Piotr Glas took place a few days ago on the island of Jersey. As previously reported by his friends who established a committee to defend the priest of Polish origin, the appeal hearing was postponed several times for formal reasons.

According to the court of second instance, it was necessary to refer the case for reconsideration. For now, it is not known what made the court question the first judgment. The dates for the next steps in the proceedings are not yet known, British media report.

According to reports from another defender, Fr. Glasa – Fr. Sławomir Kostrzewa – the convicted priest also left prison.

We sent questions about this matter to the prosecutor's office, which accused Fr. Glas, but by the time of publication we had not received a response.

The sentencing of the priest Glas for sexual crimes

Let us remind you that at the beginning of June Fr. Piotr Antoni Glas from the English diocese of Portsmouth was sentenced to five years in prison for sexual abuse of a child committed between 2004 and 2007, when he was a priest on the British island of Jersey.

Earlier, the 61-year-old priest was found guilty by a jury in Saint-Helier of lewd acts towards a child based on a foot fetish.

Fr. Glas was also banned from contacting the victim for life. Additionally, he must pay over PLN 12,000. pounds for the therapy that this person, now an adult, is undergoing. He was also placed on the sex offenders' register for 10 years.

When in 2024 the diocese was notified by Jersey police of allegations against the priest, Fr. Glas – in accordance with applicable church procedures – was suspended from performing his pastoral ministry.

Who is Fr. Piotr Glas?

Piotr Glas joined the Society of Christ for Polish People Abroad in 1982. In 1993, he was sent to England to perform pastoral service among the Polish community.

At the end of 2001, Father Glas asked his superior for permission to leave the congregation and move to the diocese. After consulting the local bishop and obtaining his positive opinion and recommendation, the Society of Christ gave its consent. However, it is not known what were the reasons why the Polish priest decided that he wanted to permanently come under the care of a British bishop.

In 2002, Glas began his ministry on the island of Jersey. It was there that the crimes for which the priest was convicted twenty-three years later took place.

— We have not received any complaints from superiors or lay people indicating inappropriate behavior by Father Glas. In particular, there were no allegations of abuse or sexual crimes, Fr. assured me a few months ago. Marek Grygiel SChr, press spokesman of the Congregation of Christ, when I ask him about the past of the controversial priest.

In recent years, his superiors have also had problems with Glas. As part of his work in the diocese of Portsmouth, he was on a year's leave for a period, after which he was sent to the English parish in Reading and during this time he no longer served as an exorcist.

Shocking theories of Fr. Glas

Fr. Glas was also known for the harmful teachings he delivered during retreats, lectures, and in his books, such as the publication “Today You Must Choose. About the Power of Mary, Spiritual War and the End Times” (2017).

One of Glas's theories says that a demon can “attach itself” to the effects of other people's sins. First of all, sexual sins: “It may be rejection, abandonment by parents, an attempted abortion or sometimes just a thought or conversation about it, alcoholism of loved ones, sexual harassment, homosexual interests, etc. Such events are not indifferent to the child. The child has not only mental trauma, but also spiritual trauma, something attaches to this child, the demon takes advantage of it.”

Glas further explains that after an act of pedophilia, the exorcism of the child, i.e. the injured person, is necessary. The priest does not take into account the great trauma that the abused child carries throughout his life. His views are a complete contradiction of the knowledge and experience of psychologists who work with victims.

Even more shocking fragments can be found in the next publication – “The Decalogue. The True Path in Times of Confusion” (2018).

Piotr Glas preaches teaching there that is inconsistent not only with medicine, but also with the message of the Catholic Church. For example, he believes that in the case of abortion, but also in the case of natural miscarriage, it is necessary to “cleanse the womb” through prayer for deliverance. There is also a fragment about the fact that demonic initiation can occur not only without the will, but also without the knowledge of the initiated person, for example through sexual intercourse with a “specialist in eastern spirituality”.

Want to talk to the author? Write: [email protected]

Read other articles by this author here.