A Dominican priest has publicly criticized a recent broadcast by Polish MP Antoni Macierewicz, calling for scrutiny of Catholic media outlets.
Open Letter to Polish Episcopal Conference
On March 24th, Dominican priest and former anti-communist opposition activist, Fr. Ludwik Wiśniewski, released an open letter to the Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda, head of the Polish Episcopal Conference.
The letter referenced a commentary by Law and Justice MP Antoni Macierewicz, aired on March 19th on TV Trwam.
“No Sense of Belonging”
Fr. Wiśniewski stated, “If bishops do not react to baseness within the Church, then belonging to such a Church makes no sense.”
He accused Macierewicz of delivering a “speech full of hatred, lies, and slander” on Catholic television, interspersed with prayer.
Concerns Over Catholic Media
The priest recalled sending repeated requests to the head of the KEP and other bishops over the past decades, asking them to assess whether Radio Maryja, Telewizja Trwam, and “Nasz Dziennik” were genuinely Catholic media.
He claimed these outlets spread “lies and slander intertwined with frightening claims that hostile forces – foreign, but also domestic – are striving to destroy Radio Maryja, the Church, Poland, and Polish culture.”
Impact on Church Membership
Fr. Wiśniewski noted that “serious people have left the Church, saying that if bishops do not react to baseness within the Church, then belonging to such a Church makes no sense.”
He described witnessing older, often ill, individuals becoming aggressive and seeing enemies everywhere after listening to accusations mixed with prayer from Maryja radio.
Role in Secularization
According to the priest, a significant factor in secularization is the widespread perception of “machinations in the ‘Church of one party.’”
He stated that young people believe, “Such a Church must be avoided from afar.”
Appeal for Investigation
The Dominican priest appealed to the Archbishop, stating, “They are destroying people and contributing to the perpetuation of divisions.”
He requested a “thorough investigation” into whether Radio Maryja, Telewizja Trwam, and “Nasz Dziennik” contain elements contrary to the Gospel.
Macierewicz’s Allegations
On March 19th, Antoni Macierewicz alleged on Telewizja Trwam that “individual elements of Poland (…) are simply being destroyed, with the main point of reference for this destruction being the so-called SAFE,” which he described as making the Polish army dependent on Germany and undermining Poland’s national interests.
Macierewicz accused the government of destroying Polish farmers, economic elements, political structures, society, and the law, vaguely referencing a “crime of Donald Tusk” and a perpetrator who “murdered our president and the Polish national elite in Smoleńsk.”
He blamed Vladimir Putin for the Smoleńsk disaster, alleging it was orchestrated to allow Donald Tusk to take power in Poland and form an alliance with Russia and Germany to conceal the truth about the “terrible crime.”
