Polish TV report: John Paul II knew of abuse as archbishop

Karol Cardinal Wojtyla, archbishop of Krakow, Poland, foreground, in 1971 (Gianni Foggia/AP)

St John Paul II knew about sexual abuse of children by priests under his authority and sought to conceal it when he was an archbishop in his native Poland, a television news report has alleged.

In a story which aired late on Monday, Polish channel TVN24 named three priests whom the future pope – then known as archbishop Karol Wojtyla – had moved among parishes or sent to a cloister during the 1970s, including one who was sent to Austria, after they were accused of abusing minors.