The defense of John Paul II as a stand for national unity
The height of audacity is seen by some opposition columnists who suggest that defending John Paul II is part of a tactic to sow division. In reality, defending the Polish pope is a stand for the unity of the Polish people, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki stated on Sunday.
That same dayMorawiecki released another episode of his podcast on social media, dedicating it entirely to John Paul II.
“The defense of the Polish pope is the defense of unity”
The head of government emphasized that defending the Polish pope means defending unity, and that smearing him amounts to a tactic of splitting Poles apart. What is sacred to the nation should remain protected, he added.
The argument persisted that the legacy of John Paul II is stronger than any security allegations or attempts to undermine it. The legacy, Morawiecki argued, endures beyond the claims of wrongdoing that may surface elsewhere.
There are those who try to cast John Paul II and the Church in a depraved light or portray priests as corrupt. The prime minister compared such framing to a broader historical dynamic that unjustly blackens a nation during its most challenging moments.
He also noted that the same voices and same editors often resort to these dual tactics, hoping to mislead the public.
People will judge for themselves whether current media discussions about John Paul II constitute a fair debate about recent Church history or a campaign against an institution central to Polish identity.
On Thursday, the Sejm passed a resolution defending the good name of St. John Paul II. The resolution followed the TVN 24 report about what Pope John Paul II knew regarding certain cases involving priests, reported earlier that week.
“TVN 24’s frontal assault on John Paul II”
The prime minister said in his podcast that the political season is approaching a peak. He recalled that a time of war lies beyond the eastern border, a time that also carries risk for the nation, and questioned why internal battles over tradition and identity would arise at such a moment.
Morawiecki described TVN 24’s report as an attack on John Paul II, Poland’s most prominent figure at the turn of the 20th and 21st centuries. He argued that the piece undercuts social order at a fragile moment in history.
John Paul II is presented as a man of flesh and blood—imperfect like everyone—yet renowned for wisdom, humility, and the affectionate respect shown by people. This reverence is reflected in monuments, schools, and hospitals named after him. He is viewed as a saint within the Church and a hero in the country’s modern story, Morawiecki said.
The prime minister added that he watched the TVN 24 report with little hope for a balanced voice on a topic that concerns Catholics, parents, and all Poles. He criticized what he saw as propaganda rather than reliable journalism, noting that questions were framed to unearth supposed secrets about Karol Wojtyła while claiming to debunk the saint’s myth.
What viewers finally receive, Morawiecki said, is a narrative built on insinuations. The report referenced former agents of the communist security apparatus, but it would have been more honest to show how the regime opposed Karol Wojtyła and later John Paul II in various ways without ever breaking his public image.
In his view, the piece was a clear attempt to attack the Polish pope rather than uncover truth. The overall aim, he stated, was not about Church welfare or addressing sins of a few priests. It was about erasing the myth surrounding one of the nation’s greatest figures and presenting propaganda in its purest form.
Morawiecki called the documentary an act of defamation, an effort to undermine an authority that guided millions toward truth and freedom, often through sacrifice and humility. He warned that attacks on John Paul II could pave the way toward a world where responsibility to family, friends, and community loses its weight.
The prime minister stressed that any move to diminish the pope’s authority would push society toward a post-Christian future, a false promise of freedom where individuals act as if detached from collective responsibility.
In closing, Morawiecki reiterated the importance of a national memory that upholds the pope’s legacy as a source of unity and identity for Poles, especially during times of external and internal strain.
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PAP