A Saskatoon priest has been found guilty of sexual assault after he hugged and kissed a teenage girl while alone in a storage closet at St. George’s Ukrainian Catholic Church, according to a provincial court judge.
Janko Kolosnjaji, 71, was charged with sexual assault stemming from an incident involving a 13-year-old girl on March 11, 2023. The girl can’t be named because of a publication ban.
At Saskatoon Provincial Court on Wednesday, Judge Lua Gibb found Kolosnjaji guilty of sexual assault.
Shortly after hearing the verdict, Kolosnjaji could be seen having a medical episode, and people were asked to leave the courtroom. About 30 minutes later Kolosnjaji was taken out of the courtroom and court proceedings resumed.
Kolosnjaji’s case will be back before the courts on Thursday to set a sentencing date. His current condition is unknown.
Kolosnjaji’s trial began in August. Court heard the teen and her family were Ukrainian refugees who cleaned St. George’s Ukrainian Catholic Church every Saturday.
On the day of the incident, court heard the girl was helping her mother clean the church, when she went to get a vacuum cleaner from the supply closet. During her testimony, she said the priest hugged her for about 15 to 20 seconds, then grabbed her chin, raised her head and kissed her on the lips.
She said the priest then told her she had “very beautiful eyes.”
Kolosnjaji later took the stand when his trial resumed in November, saying he went to the storage room after hearing a loud sound. He said the girl was red in the face and looked as though she was scared, and maybe something happened with the vacuum cleaner.
Kolosnjaji said to help reassure the girl, he asked for a hug and then he went to kiss her forehead while her head was tilted down. He said as he kissed her, the girl looked up and his kiss landed on her cheek near her mouth instead.
Kolosnjaji testified a “kiss of peace” is customary to show support and appreciation in Catholicism.
In Judge Gibb’s decision, she said Kolosnjaji’s explanation fails because he asked for consent when hugging the girl every time before, but he did not ask for consent when kissing her, a “far more” intrusive act.
Gibb mentioned how Kolosnjaji admitted to having an affinity for the girl and would often hug her, but never hug her mother or her brother. She also noted the girl and her mother were not parishioners, and did not attend church services.
“I cannot accept his evidence,” Gibb said in court.
She said despite the language barrier, she found the girl was unshaken during cross examination. Gibb said she accepts the girl’s testimony that Kolosnjaji lifted her chin for a kiss and then commented on her eyes.
At a hearing on Thursday, court heard Kolosnjaji is currently in hospital. His sentencing hearing is scheduled for June 16.
-With files from Keenan Sorokan
