Father Janko Kolosnjaji, 71, is accused of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl while she was cleaning St. George Cathedral in Saskatoon in 2023.Photo by Richard Marjan/The StarPhoenix

Saskatoon priest testifies he hugged and kissed girl as part of religious 'tradition'

Father Janko Kolosnjaji, 71, is accused of sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl while she was cleaning a Ukrainian Catholic church in 2023.

by · Saskatoon StarPhoenix

A suspended Saskatoon priest says he hugged and kissed a 13-year-old girl while she was cleaning St. George’s Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral because it’s a religious tradition to show appreciation and support.

Using a walker to approach the prisoner’s box, Father Janko Kolosnjaji testified as the sole defence witness when his judge-alone trial continued Friday in Saskatoon provincial court.

Mother testifies that Saskatoon priest showed her daughter 'too much attention'During her cross-examination in Saskatoon provincial court, a teen girl said a Saskatoon Ukrainian Catholic priest was “acting normal as always” the day he hugged and kissed her while she was cleaning the St. George Cathedral last year.Bre McAdam, 28 Aug 2024Sexual assault trial begins for Saskatoon Ukrainian Catholic priestLast March, a 13-year-old girl told police that a Saskatoon priest hugged and kissed her on the lips while she was alone in a room at St. George’s Ukrainian Catholic Cathedral in the city’s Pleasant Hill neighbourhood.Bre McAdam, 26 Aug 2024