The historic judgment of the Constitutional Tribunal which banned abortion even in the case of fetal malformation triggered a resurgence of anti-Catholic hatred. It was a difficult Sunday for many faithful. In the silence of the major Western media, there have been several attacks on churches during religious services. Interrupted masses, threats and blasphemous writings on the walls of sacred buildings characterized the day. It was the culmination of a process that has been festering in the country for some time, as told a few weeks ago to “iFamNews” by a lawyer from the legal organization Ordo Iuris.
Crucified pregnant woman
The attack on Catholicism was announced by the “Słowo na Niedzielę” campaign, (The word of Sunday), launched on social media by feminist groups. It was promoted with a sickening image of a pregnant woman crucified. It took no time from the announcement to action. The Catholic weekly Niedziela reports on a series of episodes that took place in the country. In the church of the Holy Cross, in Warsaw, a dozen activists gathered, brandishing signs with the words “What the hell do you know about childbirth,” “Poland is hell for women,” and “This is war. Sadists! We are coming to get you!”
A couple of women actually tried to break into the church but were blocked at the entrance. The same occurred outside the cathedral of St. John Baptist, in the historic center of the capital. Here the activists sat on the outside stairs. There was a stir when some of them tried to break into the church and were rejected.
Masses interrupted
The attempt to enter the church was successful in the Saska Kepa district: during Mass at the church of Our Lady of Perpetual Help an activist entered, positioned herself in front of the altar and exposed a sign to the assembly of the faithful with the inscription “Let us pray for the right to abortion.” In Torun, a north-central city in Poland, the raid on the church was carried out by the center-left MP Joanna Scheuring-Wielgus. Together with her husband, the woman entered the church of St. James during Mass showing the faithful a sign with the words “Woman! You can decide for yourself.” The parliamentarian claimed responsibility for the action on Facebook, stressing that the church of St. James is where she got married 17 years ago. The group of feminists who forced the celebrant to interrupt the Mass in Poznan was very large: the women held up pro-abortion signs and sang the chorus “We are tired of this.” They then layed down on the floor before the police officers arrived. The long list of writings with paint that appeared on the walls and doors of the churches should also be recorded. Here blasphemy played a predominant role.
The appeal of the president of the bishops
Msgr. Stanisław Gądecki, president of the Polish Bishops’ Conference responded with an open letter. The prelate stressed that the position of the Catholic Church on the issue of the right to life is “unchanged and publicly known,” however he recalled that “it is not the Church that makes laws” in Poland and “it is not the bishops who decide on the conformity or non-compliance of laws with the Constitution.”
Msgr. Gądecki then noted that “profanity, violence, abusive inscriptions and the disturbance of services and profanations that have been committed in recent day […] are not the right way to act in a democratic state.” Expressing sadness that many believers have been denied the right to pray through violence, the president of the Polish bishops asked everyone to “express their views in a socially acceptable way” and appealed to journalists and politicians to “not escalate tensions.”