Polish weekly withdrawn from some outlets amid John Paul II row

A statue of the late Pope John Paul II stands in front of a church in Warsaw, Poland, March 8, 2023. REUTERS/Kacper Pempel/File Photo

WARSAW (Reuters) - A satirical weekly featuring an image of late Pope John Paul II holding a baby doll on a cross was withdrawn from sale in post offices and state-controlled petrol stations in Poland on Tuesday, amid a fierce debate over his handling of child abuse cases.

Accusations in a new book and television documentary that the first Polish pope knowingly covered up clerical paedophilia scandals when he was archbishop of Krakow have stoked division and outrage in one of Europe's most devoutly Roman Catholic nations.