Many individuals and organisations are standing up in defence of Saint John Paul II. This is in response to the slanderous material of the private broadcaster, which is full of overinterpretation.
In recent days we have witnessed an unprecedented attack on the Person of Saint John Paul II. Accusations of covering up cases of paedophile acts among Catholic priests have been levelled against the eminent Pole.
The storm continues unabated after the broadcast of the report ‘Franciszkanska 3,’ which allegedly shows that the Polish Pope knew about paedophilia in the Church. Scandalous statements by opposition party leaders, politicians, as well as activists from various organisations can be found on the internet.
Polish professors and employees of research institutes are calling for an end to the dissemination of lying accusations against him. At the same time, they warn that “by denigrating the Pope, we show disrespect for the brightest pages in our modern history.”
The academics see the actions of the left as provocations aimed at “turning the image of a person worthy of the highest respect into someone complicit in abhorrent crimes.” (wobroniejp2.pl)
Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki addressed the whole issue on Wednesday (March 8), and the President spoke on Saturday (March 11).
“For us Poles, the memory of Saint John Paul II is an integral part of our national heritage and belongs to the Polish raison d’état, which we should guard with absolute devotion and firmness, regardless of the consequences. This is our civic, patriotic and historical duty,”
the President wrote in a letter to Bishop of Gliwice Slawomir Oder on the day of his ingress.
In addition to the President and the Prime Minister, many politicians, activists of various organisations, actors and citizens refer to the scandalous campaign against one of the most eminent Poles. Internet users are publishing photos of the saint John Paul II and showing their open opposition to the slanders levelled at the Pope.
On Monday, TVN24 broadcast a report by Marcin Gutowski, 'Franciszkańska 3', on the question of what Pope John Paul II knew about cases of paedophilia among priests. It described the cases of three priests, i.e., Bolesław Saduś, Eugeniusz Surgent and Józef Loranc, and the reaction to them of the then Krakow metropolitan cardinal Karol Wojtyła. The report also featured statements by Dutch journalist Ekke Overbeek, author of the book 'Maxima Culpa. What the Church Hides About John Paul II'.
In response to the report, the Sejm passed a resolution on Thursday to defend the good name of St John Paul II.