A former Catholic archbishop has been arrested as part of a paedophile investigation.

Jozef Wesolowski is accused of paying for sex with children while serving as The Holy See’s ambassador in the Dominican Republic, according to a Vatican spokesman.

The arrest reflects the wishes of Pope Francis, who earlier this year compared child abuse to a “satanic mass”.

The pope requested “that such a grave and delicate case be handled without delay, with the just and necessary rigour,” according to the Vatican.

Wesolowski, a Polish national, is currently under house arrest inside the city state.

He had been living freely in Rome and victims of sexual abuse had called for his arrest, expressing concern he might flee.

Wesolowski was defrocked by a Vatican tribunal earlier this year after being found guilty under canon law of sexually abusing young boys. He has appealed against the sentence.