The retired Archbishop of Kraków was called as a witness in a case brought by Janusz Szymik, who says he was sexually abused as a child by a parish priest, Jan W., in the village of Międzybrodzie Bialskie between 1984 and 1989, starting when he was 12.
Szymik is suing the Kraków archdiocese for PLN 20 million (EUR 4.7 million) in damages, arguing it should be held liable as the priest's superior.
His lawyer has said the case involves hundreds of instances of abuse.
Dziwisz's lawyers had argued the cardinal should not have to testify, citing his age and health, and asked the court to excuse him from any proceedings that could cause him stress.
He missed a hearing in June due to illness and another in July while on a planned trip to the Vatican.
He finally appeared on Monday, after the court indicated it could otherwise fine him or order him brought in by force.
During roughly an hour of testimony, Dziwisz said he recognised the priest's name because he had known all the clergy in the Kraków archdiocese, but had no personal or social contact with him.
Shown archive photographs of priests on a beach holiday, he said: "I was not on the beach with Father W., but maybe when I was there with seminarians, he might have been swimming there too."
"It is a surprising question after 50 years. We were all very young back then. It is hard to recognise people who were there after all this time."
He added he only learned of the abuse allegations from press reports, and had first heard of "unworthy behaviour" by the priest in 2022.
The cardinal said he had agreed to meet Szymik for what he called "a religious conversation," but had refused to go ahead once the man asked to bring a lawyer.
The plaintiff's lawyers say Dziwisz had earlier been alerted to the case by another priest, Tadeusz Isakowicz-Zaleski, who had urged him to intervene.
They are also trying to secure testimony from Jan W. himself, whose current whereabouts are unknown.
The current Kraków archbishop, Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś, apologised to Szymik in person before the trial began – the first time, Szymik has said, that a senior Church figure has done so.
A separate court in Bielsko-Biała awarded Szymik PLN 400,000 (EUR 93,600) in damages last year over the local diocese's failure to act after he reported the abuse in 1992, ruling that liability lay with the Kraków archdiocese rather than the newer Bielsko-Żywiec diocese.
Both sides have appealed, and the case is now before a court in Katowice.
(ał)
Source: PAP, tvp.info