The opposition uses the transfer of a ceremonial sword from the era of Mieszko I to Father Tadeusz Rydzyk in Jasna Góra as a political instrument. The sword was moved to the new Museum of Memory and Identity dedicated to St. John Paul II in Toruń. Yet, according to Sławomir Neumann, a member of the Civic Platform, the exhibition is misleading, and it has been financed at a cost some describe as the highest electricity bill in history. In response, Enea issued a statement addressing the accusations.
On Sunday, July 9, the 32nd pilgrimage of the Radio Maryja family gathered at Jasna Góra. The event drew several PiS figures, including Deputy Prime Minister (name withheld for neutrality), PiS President Jarosław Kaczyński, and Minister of State Assets Jacek Sasin. During the ceremony, the head of MAP, alongside Paweł Majewski, president of the Enea Group, presented Father Tadeusz Rydzyk with a sword dating back to Mieszko I, destined for the Museum of Memory and Identity in Toruń.
Neumann doubts the sword’s authenticity
Opposition lawmakers view the episode as a staged trigger for political maneuvering around where the exhibition should be housed. Sławomir Neumann, a Civic Platform MP, questioned the sword’s genuineness and argued that the funds used for the exhibit were charged to Polish households via electricity bills, a point he described as among the largest increases in consumption across the country.
During the ceremony in Jasna Góra, Sasin and the head of Enea presented the sword to Tadeusz Rydzyk, a gift estimated at about 250,000 zlotys. The claim that the artifact originates from the era of Mieszko I raised questions about its verifiable provenance. Some observers suggested that the sword might not be an authentic relic of early Polish statehood and raised concerns about the circumstances surrounding the handover.
– as stated by Neumann in a recording circulated online.
Enea responds
Enea did not leave Neumann’s remarks unanswered. In a post on X, the company asserted that the politician’s statements were false and demanded a formal apology along with a provisional summons that had been issued to Neumann. The company characterized the allegations as baseless, insisting the sword is not a counterfeit and asserting that personal rights were being violated by the defaming claims. The notice indicated a provisional legal step would be delivered by mail.
Discontent with the claims was expressed, with Enea stressing that the accusations about the sword’s authenticity had no factual basis and that the work would continue to protect its reputation and the integrity of the event.
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– Exclusively here. Enea accuses the political campaign of manipulating information about the medieval sword and the contents of the provisional summons
– The head of the MAP presented Father Rydzyk with a sword from Mieszko I’s era, a gift destined for the Museum of Memory and Identity in Toruń
– Praise for the decision: party critics argue the sword’s journey to a museum is a moment of national pride while pointing to the political context of the gesture