Pope Francis, according to an AP article, assured Dominican authorities that in the case against Jozef Wesolowski, a former ambassador to the Caribbean country who has been accused of sexually abusing young boys, the truth must prevail.

Wesolowski, 66, was recalled from his Santo Domingo post in August 2012 after church officials in the Dominican Republic learned of allegations that the former ambassador had been paying shoeshine boys for sexual acts.

According to a New York Times article, the boys Jozef Wesolowski allegedly paid to perform sexual acts called him “the Italian” because he spoke Spanish with an Italian accent.

This case is the first time that a top Vatican ambassador, who served as a personal envoy of the pope, has been accused of the sexual abuse of minors.

On June 27, Wesolowski was defrocked, reduced to the status of layman, and subsequently placed under house arrest inside the Vatican City where he awaits a decision by the Vatican criminal court as to whether or not he will be indicted.

This course of action was met with controversy as Wesolowski was recalled to Rome and stripped of his status in secrecy before he could be investigated for the alleged abuse. The Vatican invoked diplomatic immunity for Wesolowski which meant that he did not have to face trial in the Dominican Republic.

Francisco Dominguez Brito, Attorney General of the Dominican Republic, quoted Pope Francis who emphasized that regarding the scandal, truth must prevail and that both Vatican and Dominican courts should continue with their work freely and with respect to the law.

Dominguez Brito informed the media that he was satisfied with the Vatican's handling of the Wesolowski case and that the Dominican authorities had given the Vatican enough evidence to warrant the former ambassador's prosecution, acknowledging that, as Wesolowski was a diplomat when the alleged abuse took place, the Vatican had jurisdiction over the case.