Polish lawmakers from the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party have asked the Ministry of Interior and Administration to explain the removal of Blessed Karolina Kózkówna’s name from a sanatorium in Krynica-Zdroju.
In 2018, the sanatorium in Krynica-Zdroju, which falls under the Ministry of Interior and Administration (MSWiA), was given a patron in the person of Karolina Kózkówna, a blessed of the Catholic Church who lived from 1898 to 1914 and was murdered by a Russian soldier.
However, on July 2024, the current head of MSWiA, Marcin Kierwiński, signed a directive that removed Karolina Kózkówna’s name from the sanatorium, effectively reverting to the pre-2018 name without the blessed’s name.
Interpellation by PiS Lawmakers
MPs Paweł Sałek and Maciej Małecki from PiS submitted a joint interpellation to the head of MSWiA, expressing “deep indignation” over Kierwiński’s decision. They suggested that the move was not just a formal administrative change but an act with a symbolic and, for Catholic communities, painful and ideological dimension.
The lawmakers questioned whether the Ministry of Interior and Administration had become a tool for ideological cleansing aimed at Christian foundations of Polish identity.
MSWiA’s Explanation
In response, Deputy Minister Wiesław Szczepański stated that the decision to change the name was made by the Social Council, which indicated that naming the sanatorium after Blessed Karolina Kózkówna did not contribute to increased recognition of the sanatorium on the local market of sanatorium services.
Szczepański added that the long name often caused problems in financial documentation and was frequently omitted in tourism promotion portals, travel guides, and maps.
Additional Reactions
Other PiS lawmakers, including Katarzyna Sójka, also criticized the decision. Sójka described Kierwiński’s move as “pitiful and petty,” accusing him of fighting people’s faith instead of protecting them.
