Vatican probe alleges Bishop Škvorčević covered up seminarian abuse

A Vatican investigation into the sexual abuse of a minor seminarian at the Šalata seminary in Zagreb has uncovered allegations of a systematic cover-up involving retired Bishop Antun Škvorčević of Požega.

Testimonies from two priests suggest that Bishop Škvorčević ordered the destruction of documents that were unfavorable to the accused abuser or the Bishop himself. The secretary to the Bishop testified that such document destruction was a recurring practice within the Požega Diocese.

Furthermore, a priest who conducted an internal investigation in 2013 reported that extensive evidence, including dozens of pages of documentation and digital files on a CD, was missing or significantly reduced after being handed over to the Bishop. Despite being informed of the abuse in 2012, Škvorčević concluded after his internal probe that no abuse had occurred and failed to report the matter to the police.