Scandal at Jasna Góra. A Voice from the Episcopate

"We are currently celebrating the Year of Reconciliation. How timely the message from the Polish bishops to the German bishops, drafted by Cardinal Kominek, becomes!" the hierarch added in his post. Although he did not directly mention the controversial words spoken in Częstochowa, his comment sends a clear message: there is an ongoing dispute within the Polish Church over its mission, language, and role in public life.

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Jasna Góra – a pilgrimage in the shadow of politics

Last weekend, the annual pilgrimage of the Radio Maryja Family took place at Jasna Góra. Although the event is religious in nature, it has also served as a political manifestation for years. Among the pilgrims were many leading Law and Justice politicians. Przemysław Czarnek, Antoni Macierewicz, Daniel Obajtek, and Mariusz Błaszczak, among others, sat in the front rows. Their presence was no coincidence – the pilgrimage has long been a prominent political event for right-wing circles.

While absent, President Andrzej Duda, Law and Justice (PiS) leader Jarosław Kaczyński, and Karol Nawrocki, head of the Institute of National Remembrance, each sent personal letters to the attendees, which were read during the ceremony. A video showing PiS politicians holding hands and rhythmically swaying to a religious hymn went viral. Some saw it as a show of community, while others saw it as an expression of the politicization of religion.

"We are ruled by gangsters." Clergy on the offensive

The real uproar, however, came not from the politicians' gestures, but from the clergy's statements. During the pilgrimage, the priests uttered several words. Father Tadeusz Rydzyk, founder of Radio Maryja, sharply criticized Education Minister Barbara Nowacka. However, the most commented-upon homily was delivered by the Bishop Emeritus of the Włocławek Diocese, Wiesław Mering, who said: "We are ruled by gangsters and people who call themselves Germans."

The words – spoken at the national shrine – were shocking for many. According to numerous commentators, they are part of a dangerous trend of conducting politics from the pulpit. Critics accuse Mering of spreading hate speech and casting the Church as a political actor.

Roman Giertych: "They became wolves"

Roman Giertych, a Civic Coalition MP and former Minister of Education, quickly responded to these statements. He published a powerful open letter addressed to Polish bishops, in which he did not mince his words.

“How long will you tolerate the slander and vile calumny uttered by your brothers in the episcopate against those who dare to have a different opinion in politics than them?” he asked bluntly.

“How long will you tolerate insulting lies spoken in such an important place for Poles as Jasna Góra by those who were supposed to be shepherds of sheep, but instead became wolves killing with filthy words those sheep that do not want to politically submit to them?” he added, criticizing the clergy who, in his opinion, betray their spiritual mission in favor of political agitation.

Bishops praise PiS, Giertych speaks of "inciting another nation"

Later in the letter, the MP indicated specific names and behavior of clergy that, in his opinion, cross the line.

“Bishops Długosz and Mering have outdone themselves in praising PiS and supporting citizen patrols organized by hooligans on the Polish-German border,” he wrote.

Giertych also commented on TV Republika's materials, which allegedly contained evidence of Giertych and Donald Tusk's German identities. He explained that this was a deliberate mockery of accusations leveled against Civic Coalition (KO) politicians, and not an actual declaration.

"Leaving aside the fact that as a bishop he incited these words against another nation, he also accepted the interpretation of the calumnies uttered by TV Republika that my jokes made in a private conversation with Donald Tusk, mocking the attacks on him as a German, were meant to be an admission of our German nationality," he noted.

The Year of Reconciliation and Voices of Reason

Amid rising tensions, Archbishop Józef Kupny's post is one of the few public voices in the Episcopate calling for a calming of emotions and a return to the idea of reconciliation. Referring to the historic 1965 address from the Polish bishops to the German bishops, the clergyman recalled the meaning of the words: "We forgive and ask for forgiveness." Today, in a time of heightened emotions and political tension, these words become even more relevant.

Read also: Giertych lost his temper. A strong appeal to Polish bishops. Read also: Astonishing scenes at Jasna Góra. Nowacka left no illusions.