Rzeczpospolita's investigation of newly accessible archives has made strides in uncovering the truth about Cardinal Karol Wojtyła, who later became Pope John Paul II. The review of both state and church documents indicated that there is no evidence to suggest that Wojtyła covered up instances of pedophilia during his time as the Archbishop of Kraków from 1962 to 1978. Journalists at the outlet conducted a preliminary study of the reopened archives of the Kraków curia, examining documents related to priests who had previously been accused of pedophilia and noting key aspects of Wojtyła's actions during those years.

The findings detail that Wojtyła did not transfer priests accused of child abuse from one parish to another, which had been a common practice in the Church at the time. Instead, he acted promptly in accordance with ecclesiastical law, taking measures like to send a priest suspected of abusing children to psychiatric assessments in 1969. While some of these decisions may appear beyond standard practices of the era, the investigations reinforce that Wojtyła took responsible actions concerning allegations of abuse.

In addition, previous research conducted between 2022 and 2023 by the Institute of National Remembrance corroborates these findings, supporting the notion that Wojtyła's approach was proactive in comparison to the often-criticized responses seen in other cases within the Church. This significant research sheds light on the actions and decisions of a pivotal religious leader during a contentious period in Church history, potentially altering the narrative surrounding his legacy.