Roman Giertych again criticized Radio Maryja, contending the station received protection from the Redemptorist fathers because it backed the Law and Justice party during its time in government. He announced that a formal report on the matter would be published.
The PiS settlement team, led by Giertych, outlined the team’s ongoing work, summarizing information from government agencies and ministries about payments to Father Tadeusz Rydzyk and his organizations.
The team plans to issue a notice about a potential corruption scenario in which state institutions and ministries allocate honors or support to entities tied to Radio Maryja and Father Tadeusz Rydzyk.
Giertych spoke at a special press conference.
The tribute paid by nearly all of the Polish government’s institutions and ministries was corrupt, he asserted.
Giertych talks about the arrangement
Giertych argued that under the Law and Justice government an agreement existed between the government and the media outlets connected to Tadeusz Rydzyk.
The arrangement, he claimed, worked like this: Father Tadeusz Rydzyk and his media networks, particularly Radio Maryja, backed Law and Justice during election campaigns and maintained that support outside campaign periods. A few days earlier a party meeting led by Mr. Czarnek was held at the Church of the Redemptorist Fathers in Krakow as part of religious celebrations.
He argued that the support came with a price: a tribute financed by taxpayers for the institution linked to Father Rydzyk. Whether a crime occurred is a matter for prosecutors and courts to decide, but the matter deserves scrutiny given the scale of the financial ties and the troubling relationship involved.
He added that the situation also pains him as a believer.
Speaking as a believer, he expressed deep regret that such a situation has arisen within Catholic Church institutions.
- He spoke.
Giertych attacks Radio Maryja again
This is not the first time Giertych has targeted Radio Maryja. He previously argued that the Toruń radio station should be censored and its broadcasting license revoked.
The country should scrutinize the involvement of major Catholic Church structures in later PiS election campaigns, with many examples cited.
He clarified that he does not call for ending the Concordat, but asks that it be respected by both sides. Since Redemptorists resist official independence between church and state, the state has no reason to grant concessions, privileges, or subsidies. He suggested that revoking Radio Maryja’s license could be one of the early legal steps after the presidential elections, and any transfer to another ecclesiastical institution would require assurance that the Concordat is respected by new publishing houses and other church bodies.
He wrote this in a social media post in August.
Radio Maryja responded with an open letter addressed to Giertych.
They labeled the post an unlawful attack on Radio Maryja, its supporters, and Father Tadeusz Rydzyk. They said the message insults institutions and people, continuing a long-running campaign against the radio and its leadership, which has intensified in recent times, a claim they say the post confirms.
The reply stated that Giertych continues to challenge circles he once sought for support.