Although the Vatican has so far refused to disclose the reasons for the Pope's dismissal of Róbert Bezák from the post of Trnava archbishop earlier this month, Slovak TV news channel TA3 has now published what it says are copies of correspondence between Bezák and the Vatican that preceded his recall. TA3 published the correspondence on its website on July 14, the TASR newswire reported.
Among 11 accusations levelled at Bezák by the Vatican, according to the documents, are his selection of priests with dubious backgrounds – specified as homosexuals and those alleged to have had illegitimate children – as his close associates, and alleged mockery of the cassock as a piece of clothing worn by sorcerers, plus his own decision to dress occasionally in jeans or sweatpants.
Another accusation, according to the documents published by TA3, related to what the Vatican claimed were his disrespectful statements about the Pope and other priests, or references to himself as a "modern bishop and enlightened liberal", TASR wrote.
Bezák reportedly rejected all of the accusations in his responses to the Vatican.
Spokesperson for the Conference of Slovak Bishops (KBS) Ján Kováčik refused to comment on “the internal, partial correspondence between Monsignor Bezák and the relevant congregation, though it could prove to be authentic”, the Sme daily reported.
Vatican spokesperson Federico Lombardi told the daily he had nothing to add to the statements which had already been published.