The Polish Prime Minister defends II. János Pál after reporting that he knew about abuse

WARSAW, Poland — The Prime Minister of Poland performed on Wednesday II. In defense of the reputation of St. John Paul, the “great countryman,” after he claims he knew and tried to cover up the sexual abuse of minors by priests under his supervision as archbishop of Poland. that.

The report aired on TVN24 this week hit one of the most respected figures in the predominantly Roman Catholic country. It caused a mixed response, especially because some of the documents cited came from the files of the communist-era secret security service, which sought to compromise the church.

Catholic Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki said in a video statement posted on social media that the evidence cited against the late pope was “highly dubious.” He also claimed that the issue was raised by circles that want to wage a “cultural war” against the Poles and turn their lives upside down.

Karol Wojtyla served as Archbishop of Kraków in southern Poland between 1964 and 1978, when II. John Paul became Pope. He died in 2005 and was canonized in 2014 following an expedited process.

Morawiecki, whose right-wing government has close ties to Poland’s Catholic Church, emphasized the late pope’s role in the democratic changes in his native country in the 1980s that inspired other nations in then-communist Central and Eastern Europe.

“The list of János Pál’s merits for the world and for Poland is inexhaustible,” said Morawiecki.

“I stand in defense of our Pope, because I know that as a nation we owe a lot to II. John Paul. Maybe we owe him everything,” Morawiecki said.

His video included quotes from the pope’s speeches, as well as a photo of Morawiecki’s father, the communist-era dissident Kornél Morawiecki, as II. He meets János Pál.

Poland’s ruling Law and Justice party is pushing for parliament to pass a resolution in defense of the former pope this week.

In a report broadcast late Monday, TVN24 named three priests who the future pope moved between parishes or sent to monasteries in the 1970s, including one sent to Austria after they were accused of abusing minors.