Saskatoon priest Janko Kolosnjaji took the stand Friday at his sexual assault trial.
Kolosnjaji is accused of sexually assaulting a minor in 2023 at St. George Ukrainian Catholic Church. He has pleaded not guilty to the charge.
The incident in question occurred in March of that year.
Earlier in the trial court heard a video statement from the alleged victim, who is a 13-year-old girl. It was translated from Ukrainian to English for the court.
Court heard the girl was cleaning the church with her mother and brother, a job her mom had secured after fleeing the war in Ukraine.
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In the video, recorded on March 12, 2023, she said her family were in different areas of the church when Kolosnjaji approached her and asked for a hug.
Court heard she said nothing and hugged him, saying he would often ask for hugs. She then alleged Father Kolosnjaji lifted her chin and pulled her in for a kiss on the mouth. She also claimed he complimented her afterwards, saying she has very beautiful eyes.
During his testimony on Friday, Kolosnjaji said it’s common in his church and his culture to greet or bless members with a hug or kiss on either the shoulders or cheeks, admitting he often asked the minor for hugs when she came to clean the church with her mother as a sign of “appreciation and support.”
When questioned why he never gave the same courtesy to the mother or younger brother, he said he had no explanation.
The Crown argued regardless of the customs and traditions in greeting people within his church, Kolosnjaji and the alleged victim both testified that she and her family were not parishioners at the church.
The Crown also highlighted Kolosnjaiji’s lack of explanation as to why he felt he could give the teen a kiss without consent.
Kolosnjaji denied having kissed the girl on the mouth, saying he intended to kiss her on the forehead, but it landed on her cheek.
The defence argued the kiss was not sexual in nature, and asked the court to consider Kolosnjaji’s cultural beliefs, traditions and way of greeting people.
The case is now adjourned until December to set a date for a decision.
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