A former papal envoy accused of paying young boys for sex has died before his trial at the Vatican could get underway, officials said Friday.
In the first trial of its kind at the Vatican's own court, Jozef Wesolowski, 67, faced seven years in jail on charges that he paid shoeshine boys for sex while serving as papal nuncio, or ambassador, in the Dominican Republic.
A Vatican statement said Wesolowski was found dead at his residence in the enclave early Friday morning. Although an autopsy has yet to be carried out, the Vatican said natural causes were a likely cause of death.