The head of Poland’s Catholic Church has accused the Vatican of misrepresenting social and political conditions in his country, and of maintaining a “false image” fostered by one-sided Western media.
“I've tried to correct the picture, promoted by the liberal media and prevailing for some time, that we are somehow connected with one political party,” said Archbishop Stanislaw Gadecki, president of the bishops’ conference.
“Responsible people at the Vatican don't seem to realise the Church in Poland is guided by the principle that we don't identify with left, right or centre, but seek to uphold the Gospel and bring a fresh perspective to the world which politics cannot achieve.”
The Church leader spoke after heading a delegation of bishops to Rome as part of a month-long ad limina visit. He told Poland's Catholic Information Agency, KAI, that he and other bishops had attempted to correct “false information about the situation in Poland” during a meeting on 15 October with Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's Secretary of State, and other officials.
However, he added that a “critical view of the Church in Poland, and especially of Polish politics” prevailed at the Vatican, drawn from “biased accounts by Western agencies” which were picked up by Italy's Catholic press.
“During the Secretariat of State meetings, we had the impression the Holy See did not notice the support provided by the Polish authorities for defending life and families,” Archbishop Gadecki said.
Polish Church leaders have repeatedly rejected claims of a special link with their country’s governing Law and Justice party, headed by Jaroslaw Kaczynski, which has been threatened with sanctions over alleged violations of European Union norms governing media independence and the judicial process, insisting the Church looks favourably on reforms by any party which reflect Christian values.
Speaking last week, after Poland’s Supreme Court ruled that national legislation took priority over EU laws and treaties, prompting warnings of a worsening Polish-EU conflict, Archbishop Gadecki told Vatican Radio he believed Europe continually needed spiritual values and “a return to the principles of its founding fathers”.
“However, we all wish to remain in Europe, and there’s absolutely no question of any departure from it. As the foremost moral force, the Church is tempted by various parties seeking to win her favour,” the archbishop told the KAI agency.
“That’s why we need a certain caution, and must be open and not closed in any direction, remaining able to evaluate various political programmes differently and critically, while not closing ourselves to anyone.”
In a KAI interview last week, Archbishop Gadecki confirmed that several bishops had bitterly criticised the Vatican’s handling of sexual abuse during their visit, particularly over “disproportionate punishments” inflicted on bishops accused of cover-ups in comparison with convicted paedophiles.
“Our task is to work with the Holy Father in clearing up our church's current situation, which has undermined trust among certain people,” the archbishop said. “But critical remarks have been made about the Holy See’s treatment of bishops who've had punishments imposed for shortcomings, transgressions or acts of forgetfulness in dealing with clergy accused of paedophilia. Some bishops highlighted the disproportionate, lasting penalties imposed on bishops after initial investigations.”
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