“I am surprised that someone supposedly wanted to help the opposition and exposed this dynamite in the form of a TVN report. This is incomprehensible to me, it is a complete lack of thought on the part of those who have undertaken it at such a time” – said Marek Sawicki, a member of the PSL, former minister of agriculture, in an interview with the portal wPolityce. .
wPolityce.pl: Today, two resolutions related to John Paul II were discussed in the culture committee. One is prepared by PiS and the other by PSL. Why did the PSL decide to step forward in this matter?
Mark Sawicki: With our resolution, we just wanted to pay tribute to the great Pole. The PiS resolution, on the other hand, tends to heat up the dispute and brawl. Of course, I’ll be honest and say that PiS couldn’t get anything better than TVN’s report. It’s sad that they picked it up and will play. I want to emphasize clearly that just as the right-wing post-Solidarity section tries to destroy the authority of Lech Wałęsa on the basis of the documents of the security service, the left-wing post-Solidarity section has come to the conclusion that it is also possible to destroy the authority of Johannes Paul II by calling for the dismantling of his monuments. I warn you that they can destroy all these earthly, physical monuments, but they will never destroy the monument of John Paul II in the hearts of Poland.
With very sharp criticism and accusations against St. John Paul II, there are members of the left, such as Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus or Joanna Senyszyn. However, as far as I can see, PO politicians have adopted a different tactic on this issue, instead of remaining silent on this issue. How do you rate these attitudes?
The fact that the members of the left take the opportunity to attack the church is nothing new, I clearly remember how the communists did the same thing during the People’s Republic of Poland. However, I am surprised by the behavior of the supposedly conservative PO, who is unable to comment on this issue, has watered his mouth. When there was an opportunity during the meeting of the culture committee to process the resolution on John Paul II in the version submitted by the Polish coalition, they simply left the room and prevented the processing of our text of the resolution, which is a neutral text. , draws attention to John Paul II’s merits to the Catholic Church. The PO agreed to involve the entire parliament in the PiS resolution and allow PiS to use this attack on the Pope for their political purposes.
You say these attacks on John Paul II serve PiS politically, but even if this is the case, the TVN report was not commissioned by PiS. Does the PO’s silence on this matter also benefit PiS?
The PO realized what TVN journalists had done. This case is not new, unknown, the TVN material does not show any new facts. I am surprised that someone supposedly wanted to help the opposition and exposed this dynamite in the form of a TVN report. This is incomprehensible to me, it is a total lack of thinking on the part of those who undertook it at such a time. All the more so because if we want to investigate the past of the Church, I am in favor of it, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz also spoke about it – please try to open the Church archives, let’s leave it to historians. On the other hand, relying on the testimony of one witness and dubious evidence and SB material is an element that fits the left very well, it is part of the campaign not only for John Paul II, but in general for the whole Catholic Church. This is how it will sadly be perceived in the world. Wherever you go abroad, you always hear “Wałęsa and John Paul II”. However, here it is clear that in Poland in the third decade of the 21st century, authorities are apparently not needed.
So you say in the TVN report about St. John Paul II, nothing new has appeared and you are surprised that someone, who wanted to help the opposition, brought out dynamite in the form of this report. So you think TVN launched this report for a political purpose?
You’re pulling my tongue, and to be honest, I don’t know what the purpose was, ask the journalists. I’m just saying that even if that wasn’t the goal, that will be the effect. Before the last European Parliament elections, there was a dispute between the “rainbow” and the “anti-rainbow”, in 2019 PiS came up with the idea of threatening the privatization of forests, and now the blind chicken has found a golden grain and it is already known that PiS mobilizes its voters around the defense of the Church and Polish values.
You referred to the last elections to the European Parliament, when PSL was part of the European coalition together with PO and PSL there was involved in the “rainbow” you mentioned.
Yes, it was a mistake, which is why we went under our own banner in the 2019 parliamentary elections. Let me remind you that I was the only member of the Supreme Council of the PSL to vote against the PSL joining the European coalition.
That’s right, and now the situation looks different than before the aforementioned EP elections, because in terms of defending John Paul II, as I understand it, PSL is de facto on the same side as PiS.
We’re not exactly on the same side as PiS on this point. Our resolution was not a resolution referring to the allegations in the TVN report and their inconsistency with the historical truth, because we do not know, but it refers to the historical merits of John Paul II for Poland, for our sovereignty, for our membership from NATO and the EU, and contributions to the Catholic Church. On the other hand, the PiS resolution entangles the figure of John Paul II in current politics. This is where we differ.
In fact, however, both PiS and PSL emphasize the great importance and merits of John Paul II for Poland.
I think up to 80 percent. of the non-believers in Poland who were asked about the importance of John Paul II to the history of Poland and our stay among free nations, there is no doubt that John Paul II contributed to this.
If this is the case, it can be said in principle that the emergence of this case does not serve that part of the opposition that does not intend to defend John Paul II.
He’s going to attack. These people will lose out historically. I say it again: they can destroy all the physical monuments of John Paul II, but they will not destroy the spiritual monument that he built with his attitude, activities in the hearts and minds of Poland.
Do you think that the dispute over the figure of John Paul II will be one of the main topics of the upcoming election campaign?
This issue is already in the campaign. We know how the left and PiS are pursuing this right now. Anything that serves PiS does not serve the democratic opposition.
Can PiS win a third term thanks to the defense of John Paul II?
I don’t know, you are not talking to a prophet, but to a simple country man. I will evaluate it after the election.
Adam Stankiewicz spoke
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— The culture committee approved a project on defending the good name of St. John Paul II! Deputy Prime Minister Gliński: JPII is a public good of the highest rank
— The furious attack from the left on St. John Paul II. Senyszyn: The Polish Pope put the interests of the Church above the truth and evil of the victims of pedophile priests!
Source: wPolityce