WARSAW, Poland - A Polish Roman Catholic monk went on trial Tuesday on charges of sexually abusing a 14-year-old girl in a monastery.
The monk, whose identity was not disclosed, has denied the charges and said he brought the girl to the monastery only to give her a gift of used clothing, the Polish news agency PAP reported.
The girl has accused the monk of telling her to undress and fondling her when he took her to a monastery after a religion class in the village of Kikole, 150 kilometers (90 miles) northwest of Warsaw.
The trial, which is being held in the nearby town of Lipno, has been closed to the media and public. The defendant could face up to 10 years in prison if convicted.
In March, Polish Archbishop Juliusz Paetz of Poznan stepped down following allegations that he had made homosexual advances on young clerics.
He was the highest-ranking church figure to resign in a spate of sexual misconduct scandals shaking the church in countries including the United States and Ireland.