John Wojnowski
Encyclopedia
John Wojnowski is an anti-pedophile activist
who has maintained a one-man protest
outside the Apostolic Nunciature
in Washington DC since 1998. Wojnowski, a retired ironworker
, stands on Massachusetts Avenue during afternoon rush hour holding signs with slogans such as "My Life Was Ruined by a Catholic Pedophile Priest" and "Pedophilia: Catholic Clergy's Sordid 'Professional Secret'".
residents. The initial reaction to Wojnowski was somewhat hostile with many passing motorists yelling curses and some even physically threatening him. He reports that at one point his sign was ripped from his hands, thrown in the back of a pickup truck and stolen. However, media focus on the Catholic sex abuse scandal has sometimes led to a more supportive reaction. However, many remain angered at what they perceive as anti-Catholic bigotry.
He failed to finish school, and at age 18 left Italy for Canada, where he worked at odd jobs. He came to the United States in 1963, served in the Army and worked as a laborer. He found a wife on a 1968 trip to Poland and had two children with her. Wojnowski says his wife left him after 30 years when ironworker jobs became scarce in the 1990s. He lists his past inability to keep a job as just one of many consequences of his alleged molestation. He says "It was so traumatizing. I repressed the memory of that moment, but I ruined my life. My temper changed, my appearance changed. I was avoiding people. I felt so insecure, I never talked to anyone."
In 1997, Wojnowski's memory of molestation was revived by newspaper accounts of Rudy Kos, a Texas pedophile priest sentenced to life in prison and whose victims were awarded $119 million in damages. The case, and the huge damage award, got him thinking. He spoke to a priest in Maryland who helped him get church-paid therapy and advised him to seek financial compensation through the Archdiocese of Washington. According to Wojnowski, after some correspondence and long delays, the archdiocese informed him that the Italian priest was dead and that there would be no compensation. In April 1998 he took early retirement and began his daily protest outside the Vatican embassy.
Anti-pedophile activism
Anti-pedophile activism encompasses opposition against pedophiles, against pedophile advocacy groups, and against other phenomena that are seen as related to pedophilia, such as child pornography and child sexual abuse...
who has maintained a one-man protest
Protest
A protest is an expression of objection, by words or by actions, to particular events, policies or situations. Protests can take many different forms, from individual statements to mass demonstrations...
outside the Apostolic Nunciature
Apostolic Nunciature
An Apostolic Nunciature is a top-level diplomatic mission of the Holy See, equivalent to an embassy.The head of the Apostolic Nunciature is called nuncio. A nuncio is an ecclesiastical diplomatic title, derived from the ancient Latin nuntius, meaning messenger...
in Washington DC since 1998. Wojnowski, a retired ironworker
Ironworker
Ironworker is a class of machines that can shear, notch, and punch holes in steel plate. Ironworkers generate force using mechanical advantage or hydraulic systems. Modern systems use hydraulic rams powered by a heavy alternating current electric motor. High strength carbon steel blades and dies...
, stands on Massachusetts Avenue during afternoon rush hour holding signs with slogans such as "My Life Was Ruined by a Catholic Pedophile Priest" and "Pedophilia: Catholic Clergy's Sordid 'Professional Secret'".
Reaction
Since thousands of commuters pass the traffic signal at the Vatican embassy each day, Wojnowski's protest is familiar to many Washington, DC and MarylandMaryland
Maryland is a U.S. state located in the Mid Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware to its east...
residents. The initial reaction to Wojnowski was somewhat hostile with many passing motorists yelling curses and some even physically threatening him. He reports that at one point his sign was ripped from his hands, thrown in the back of a pickup truck and stolen. However, media focus on the Catholic sex abuse scandal has sometimes led to a more supportive reaction. However, many remain angered at what they perceive as anti-Catholic bigotry.
Background
Wojnowski's father was a librarian for a Catholic university in Italy. Wojnowski and his two younger brothers grew up in Italy and attended Catholic schools. When he was 14 or 15, he and his brothers spent a month camping alone in the mountains. According to Wojnowski, a village priest in the area offered to tutor him in Latin, and while he was visiting the rectory sexually molested him.He failed to finish school, and at age 18 left Italy for Canada, where he worked at odd jobs. He came to the United States in 1963, served in the Army and worked as a laborer. He found a wife on a 1968 trip to Poland and had two children with her. Wojnowski says his wife left him after 30 years when ironworker jobs became scarce in the 1990s. He lists his past inability to keep a job as just one of many consequences of his alleged molestation. He says "It was so traumatizing. I repressed the memory of that moment, but I ruined my life. My temper changed, my appearance changed. I was avoiding people. I felt so insecure, I never talked to anyone."
In 1997, Wojnowski's memory of molestation was revived by newspaper accounts of Rudy Kos, a Texas pedophile priest sentenced to life in prison and whose victims were awarded $119 million in damages. The case, and the huge damage award, got him thinking. He spoke to a priest in Maryland who helped him get church-paid therapy and advised him to seek financial compensation through the Archdiocese of Washington. According to Wojnowski, after some correspondence and long delays, the archdiocese informed him that the Italian priest was dead and that there would be no compensation. In April 1998 he took early retirement and began his daily protest outside the Vatican embassy.