The case of the papal cross burning down near the Church of St. Maximilian Kolbe in Warsaw is still widely discussed online. Among those sharing their reflections on the incident was Stargard City Councillor Monika Kirschenstein (Civic Platform). Her comment left some people stunned.
On Good Friday afternoon, Warsaw firefighters received a report of a fire involving a cross near the Church of St. Maximilian Kolbe in the Służewiec district. This is a special cross: it was here that St. John Paul II celebrated his first Mass on Polish soil in June 1979. The cross had been given to the newly formed parish by Primate Stefan Wyszyński. According to the police, “the likely cause of the fire was ignition from grave candles.”
The incident sparked strong emotions. “The cross is a symbol of our faith. The cross in front of St. Maximilian Kolbe Church in Warsaw’s Mokotów district was also a symbol of the transformation that took place in Poland. It was here, at what was then Victory Square in June 1979, that the Holy Father John Paul II proclaimed: ‘Let Your Spirit descend and renew the face of the earth. This earth.’ Today, on Good Friday, the cross burned down under circumstances that remain unexplained so far. Let us help the parish rebuild this cross,” appealed former Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki on social media. The parish priest, Rev. Canon Andrzej Krzesiński, assured that the structure would be rebuilt.
Reaction of the Civic Platform councillor
News of the burned cross quickly spread across Poland and also reached Stargard. There, city councillor Monika Kirschenstein of the Civic Platform shared her opinion about the incident on Facebook.
“A beautiful sight,” she wrote.
The councillor’s post quickly gained attention. It was commented on, among others, by Law and Justice MEP Maciej Wąsik on X. “Civic Platform politicians rejoice at the burning of the papal cross. They do not even hide their denationalization,” the politician wrote.