Following a homily by Bishop Wiesław Mering and a prayer by Bishop Antoni Długosz at Jasna Góra, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, headed by Radosław Sikorski, sent a letter to the Vatican demanding consequences for the clerics.
It reminded me of all the bad things about how the Polish state treated the Catholic Church during the times of communist repression. What the Foreign Ministry wrote, what Sikorski and Tusk have taken responsibility for, is unprecedented on many levels – said Michał Rachoń today on TV Republika.
On Tuesday, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs under Radosław Sikorski issued a so-called demarche addressed to the Vatican.
“On July 15 this year, the Ambassador of the Republic of Poland to the Holy See handed a demarche to Javier Domingo Fernández González, Chief of Protocol of the Holy See, in which the Polish side expressed outrage at the recent, unacceptable statements by Bishops Długosz and Mering. (…) The demarche is a response to statements made by the bishops on July 11 and 13, respectively, which undermine the provisions of the Concordat signed on July 28, 1993, between the Holy See and the Republic of Poland” – the Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
What outraged the “Polish side” represented by Sikorski and his associates?
It concerns statements made by the bishops last weekend at Jasna Góra.
These things are simply happening
Let’s follow the key points of the Foreign Ministry’s letter.
“On July 11, during the Jasna Góra Appeal, Bishop Antoni Długosz publicly expressed support for Robert Bąkiewicz’s Border Protection Movement. On July 13, Bishop Wiesław Mering stated that ‘we are governed by people who identify as Germans.’ ‘As long as the world has existed,’ said Polish poet Wacław Potocki in the 17th century, ‘a German will never be a brother to a Pole.’
We also wish to draw attention to another statement by Bishop Mering, which is unacceptable both semantically and substantively: ‘Our country’s borders are threatened from both the West and the East.’ Bishop Mering also referred to the Polish government as ‘political gangsters.’
Such statements by bishops, acting as representatives of the Polish Episcopal Conference and thereby representing the Catholic Church, undermine Polish-German relations, slander the government, and clearly show support for nationalist movements.
Bishop Długosz, in his prayer before the image of Our Lady of Jasna Góra, voiced an intention for those protecting Poland’s borders and for volunteers from the Border Protection Movement. Bishop Wiesław Mering, during a homily delivered at the 34th Pilgrimage of Radio Maryja to Jasna Góra, said:
“Our country’s borders are threatened both from the West and from the East. And one politician says that the Border Protection Movement brings more harm than the immigrants about whom we know nothing. In my Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, there were recently two murders – one of a young woman, and one of a young man. We are governed by people who identify as Germans. As long as the world has existed – as Wacław Potocki said in the 18th century – a German will never be a brother to a Pole. History has terribly confirmed the truth of this saying.”
Everything these Catholic dignitaries, Polish patriots, and bishops are saying is actually happening. Poland is under attack. Our eastern border is under attack every day. From the West, as part of a parallel operation, the German state, using its uniformed services, is transporting illegal immigrants to Poland, and Polish services are receiving them – all with the consent of the Polish government. We’ve recorded it many times – said Michał Rachoń today on TV Republika.
Punished for quoting Tusk?
And what about the “political gangsters” remark?
“Again, just like in communist times, when we were taught patriotism, truth, history, and tradition at home by our parents – because Poland today is ruled by political gangsters. You’re probably surprised by such a strong expression, but I’m just quoting Donald Tusk, the prime minister, because that’s what he said (…) recently” – said Bishop Wiesław Mering on Sunday.
The Polish Foreign Ministry is protesting because a bishop used the term “political gangsters,” yet 200 meters from where I sit, during the election campaign, Donald Tusk used exactly those words: “This is really about Poland, we’ve said it many times, and we knew exactly why – Poland is ruled by political gangsters.” So why is it okay for Tusk to say this, but not okay for a bishop to quote him – and for that, Sikorski files a report to the Vatican? – asked Rachoń.
Globalists reviewing bishops
The Foreign Ministry’s letter then adopts a moralizing tone:
We remind that under Article 1 of the Concordat signed on July 28, 1993, between the Holy See and the Republic of Poland, “The Republic of Poland and the Holy See, each in its own domain, are independent and autonomous and commit to fully respecting this principle in mutual relations and to cooperating for the good of humanity and the common good.” The words in Bishop Mering’s homily are not only contrary to the letter and spirit of the Concordat but are also deeply inconsistent with the teaching of the Catholic Church and the historical experience of Polish-German reconciliation after World War II. The Church played a key role in that reconciliation – particularly the 1965 Letter of Polish Bishops to German Bishops, which became the starting point for a difficult but essential dialogue between the two nations. We strongly condemn the words of the homily as historically inaccurate and undermining the efforts of those who have worked to build bridges between Poland and Germany.
If bishops say that our borders are being attacked from both the East and West, that’s seen as undermining Polish-German relations, and the Foreign Ministry finds it appropriate to send a protest to the Vatican because Polish clergy on Jasna Góra are pointing this out (…) The Foreign Ministry is now reviewing homilies, judging them from the perspective of “Catholic teaching.” Radosław Sikorski is no theologian, and the bunch of globalist operatives with Russian experience sitting at the Foreign Ministry are also not people qualified or entitled to review bishops’ homilies. The document even states that the Polish Church is scandalously attacking Polish-German relations and reminds us that German responsibility for WWII crimes was addressed in the reconciliation process. Except that today not only is the German state trying to blur the truth about those crimes, but also the same political circles running the Foreign Ministry are doing the same – the same group that governs Gdańsk, which is funding efforts to obscure the truth, suggesting that “our boys” were responsible for Wehrmacht crimes. That was the whole point of the act of forgiveness – that we forgive the Germans for what they did to us – said Michał Rachoń.
A fundamental problem
We also wish to point out that the phrase “identifying as Germans” when referring to members of the Polish government suggests fundamental national disloyalty. This accusation is unacceptable from the perspective of a sovereign government elected through a democratic process and possessing the mandate of the Polish people. Moreover, we emphasize Canon 287 § 2 of the Code of Canon Law, which states that clerics are to avoid active involvement in political parties or disputes unless, in the judgment of competent ecclesiastical authority, it is required for the defense of the rights of the Church or the promotion of the common good. In this spirit, we request an end to interference in the internal affairs of the Republic of Poland.
The fundamental issue here is that we’re talking about sovereignty, the importance of borders, and the conflicting interests of countries that, despite being in the same alliances and organizations, still have conflicting agendas. But above all, Tusk himself, jokingly or ironically, said he’s German. And Roman Giertych once joked that he’s even more German – Rachoń pointed out.
He also mentioned the exception in Canon Law highlighted by the Foreign Ministry.
Isn’t speaking out in defense of Church rights what the canon allows? Especially when Poland is governed by a coalition that openly talks about “trimming back Catholics”? – he asked.
Jail for a homily?
The Foreign Ministry goes on to make a veiled threat.
Not long ago, on June 18, the International Day for Countering Hate Speech was observed. We would not want such comments to be classified as incitement or even hate speech. The voice of the Catholic Church in Poland is respected. We hope such statements will not change this situation.
That’s a clear threat. What else could they mean when they say: “we would not want to treat bishops’ words as hate speech”? The Penal Code includes provisions regarding hate speech (…) They’re writing like seasoned secret police operatives – it’s the same tone, a veiled threat tied to specific criminal provisions over the content of a homily – said Michał Rachoń.
“We respectfully inform…”
The Foreign Ministry’s letter ends with a paragraph reminiscent of communist-era rhetoric.
We respectfully suggest taking appropriate action against Bishop Wiesław Mering and Bishop Antoni Długosz to prevent similarly unfortunate, false, and unfounded statements from appearing in the future in public discourse, tarnishing the good name of the Catholic Church – an institution so important and inseparably linked with the history of the Polish state from its beginnings to the present day.
They respectfully inform the Pope to discipline two bishops because they quoted Donald Tusk and Roman Giertych, because they speak plainly about what Tusk is doing as Prime Minister, because they clearly describe what is happening at our borders – said Rachoń.
He emphasized that Bishops Długosz and Mering should be thanked for taking a stand.
In a crucial moment for Poland, and in matters important to millions of Poles, they spoke up, knowing it could have consequences. When I heard that the Foreign Ministry issued an official protest note, I was shocked. And when I read its contents, it brought back all the bad memories of how the Polish state used to treat the Church under communist repression. What the Foreign Ministry wrote – what Sikorski and Tusk have put their names on – is, on many levels, extraordinary – concluded the program director of TV Republika.