Vatican emissary accused of sex assault found dead

The Vatican’s former ambassador to the Dominican Republic, who had been charged by church prosecutors with sexually abusing children in the Caribbean country, died of apparent natural causes as he awaited trial, the Vatican said.

Jozef Wesolowski, 67, was found dead early yesterday in the Vatican room where he has been held on house arrest, a statement from the Vatican said.

Vatican officials immediately intervened and initial checks “indicated that the death was from natural causes,” a press statement said.