The opposition and its commentators repeatedly mock the pilgrimage of the Radio Maryja family to Jasna Góra and the politicians who participated in the gathering. Monika Olejnik remarked in Gazeta Wyborcza that it was merely an election campaign staged at Jasna Góra.
Olejnik on “PiS’s fun at Jasna Góra”
On Sunday, July 9, tens of thousands of believers joined the Radio Maryja family for the 32nd pilgrimage to Jasna Góra. At Wały Jasnogórskie, participants included Deputy Prime Minister Jarosław Kaczyński, Minister of National Defense Mariusz Błaszczak, Minister of Education and Science Przemysław Czarnek, Minister of Family Affairs Marlena Maląg, and Minister of State Assets Jacek Sasin, along with deputies, senators, and local PiS officials. Kaczyński addressed the crowd, noting that there has not been a moment in a long time when plans to deprive the country of its sovereignty were openly discussed. In a separate gesture, the head of MAP presented the director of Radio Maryja with a historical sword intended for an exhibition in a museum under construction in Toruń. For Olejnik, this event was a reason for mockery, and in Gazeta Wyborcza she described it as PiS’s entertainment with Jasna Góra.
(…) there is a sentiment that everyone wants to win over businessman Rydzyk, who has spent years preaching that only PiS can save the country
— Olejnik teased, adding that Father Tadeusz Rydzyk’s claim that the EU is a “German Union” reveals a forgetfulness about how Pope John Paul II urged Poles to vote in favor of the EU in the referendum.
It is evident that the Radio Maryja leader and the government camp show selective memory, Oleynik stated.
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“Election Campaign in Jasna Góra”
The journalist contends that statements by the director of Radio Maryja and the PiS president, Jarosław Kaczyński, prove that the event was labeled as an election campaign at Jasna Góra.
Olejnik noted that while traveling through Poland she saw Michał Dworczyk’s billboards near Nowa Ruda. Since the campaign had not officially started, she suggested the parties need not account for costs. She mocked the idea that Dworczyk would display emails from his mailbox on posters, asserting viewers would see how politics is conducted unfairly.
Mateusz Morawiecki, after commenting on the Jasna Góra episode, claimed there is no separation between church and state. A question was raised whether Jasna Góra should be available for rent to everyone, Oleynik asked.
The position of the Jasna Góra spokesperson
The spokesman for Jasna Góra, Father Michał Bortnik, explained that the participation of politicians, including the head of PiS, in the Radio Maryja family pilgrimage was addressed during the Holy Mass as part of the common space of Jasna Góra. The location where the speech was delivered was described as not being a strictly liturgical space; it was a place used for gatherings and discussions by cantors or facilitators.
He added that the Pauline Fathers and Brothers did not interfere with the content of invited guests’ speeches. The floor for speakers was the organizer’s responsibility, with the Redemptorist monks led by Father Tadeusz Rydzyk organizing the 32nd Pilgrimage of the Radio Maryja Family.
The statement noted that the event’s atmosphere reflected the organization’s own aims rather than a solely liturgical event.
It was commented that Olejnik’s focus on the presence of politicians at Jasna Góra did not align with broader political activities, and some readers noted questions about the portrayal of other political figures in the coverage.
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