Former Vatican Archbishop Put On House Arrest Over Sex Abuse Allegations

The Vatican's former ambassador to the Dominican Republic has been placed under house arrest as the church's investigative arm follows up on reports of sexual abuse from June.

Former Archbishop and Vatican Ambassador to the Dominican Republic Josef Wesolowski was already defrocked from his religious authority back in June after the church found him guilty of abusing young boys in the country. He is now being investigated by the Vatican's criminal court and has been placed on house arrest as the investigation carries out.

According to the Associated Press, Wesolowski reportedly presented medical documentation that proved he was not well enough to be under arrest at a Vatican facility, and therefore he was allowed o remain at home.

A spokesperson for the Vatican previously said that Pope Francis hopes "that such a grave and delicate case be handled without delay, with the just and necessary rigour."

Francis has also said that such acts that exploit minors are comparable to a "satanic mass" in the church.

The pope has pledged a crackdown on sexual abuse in the Catholic Church. Earlier this year, a Vatican delegation met with the United Nations to outline ways the Holy See would seek to curb and end sexual exploitation in its religious organization.

The delegation, led by Monseigneur Silvano Tomassi, said during the U.N. meeting that abuses by church leaders are "particularly serious since these persons are in positions of great trust and they are called to levels of service that are to promote and protect all elements of the human person."