The Polish Church investigates communist past of bishops and priests

Bishop Slawoj Leszek Glodz , who will serve as liaison between Poland's bishops and a church historic commisssion reviewing the communist-era files on Poland's clergy

After a meeting late last week, the Polish Roman Catholic Episcopate has announced the intention to purge the Church of communist ties, disclosing documents concerning the cooperation of a minority of priests and bishops with Poland's communist regime. The meeting followed the resignation of archbishop Stanislaw Wielgus, who was about to be installed as the metropolitan of Warsaw, but admitted to having had links with the communist security police.

"The church is not afraid of the truth, even if that is a difficult, shameful truth, and it sometimes hurts," said Polish bishops in a pastoral letter to the faithful one week after archbishop Wielgus stepped down over his past involvement with Poland's communist regime.

The bishops therefore announced a forthcoming complete disclosure of documents and known facts pertaining to the involvement of a minority of priests in collaboration with communist authorities. The decision came after a special meeting of the Episcopate. Reports on all communist era bishops are to be drafted and sent to the Vatican for further review.

Father Józef Kloch, spokesman for the Episcopate hopes the Church will give a good example for other professional groups to come clean about their communist era sins.

"Here is a group that is not bound by law to go through the vetting process and this group is the first one to say 'Yes, we want our documents to be examined.' This is a way of expressing hope that others, who are required by law to do this, will follow suit."

Father Józef Kloch

Having written a lot on the persecution of the Church by the communist regime, notably on the brutal murders of priests by the communist secret services, independent investigative journalist Leszek Szymowski welcomes the intention of the Church to purge itself of communist leftovers.

"The persecution of the Church by the communists largely depended on those among the clergy who collaborated with the communist regime. There are priests that still hide the fact of their collaboration with communists and these priests can now be blackmailed by post-communist forces to push forward post-communist agenda hostile to the Church. This is why it is vital that all these past sins are now revealed. The guilty parties should apologize and free themselves of this problem. The faithful will forgive them, I am sure of it."

Polish MEP and historian professor Wojciech Roszkowski sees the bishops' decision to face the past as, in a way, revolutionary.

"We are witnessing a breakthrough in the Episcopate. Finally, the bishops are willing to take this challenge."

Prof. Roszkowski added that he did not understand the anti-cleansing position taken by some bishops and the circles of the populist Catholic Radio Maryja, who try to glorify archbishop Wielgus. He pointed out that this in fact is standing in opposition to the Vatican and putting the Church unity at risk.

Leszek Szymowski

Among those who traditionally oppose squaring accounts with Poland's communist past, are also the circles of the liberal Gazeta Wyborcza and its editor-in-chief Adam Michnik. Usually questioning the validity of the whole vetting or "lustration" process, in this case, Pawel Wronski, a notable Gazeta Wyborcza journalist, says he would like to see the communist era documents valued more than the denial of guilt coming from the accused.

"What is important, I think, is that so far it could be seen that the word of a bishop was valued more than the communist documents from the Institute of National Remembrance. I hope that after the case of archbishop Wielgus, this proportion will be reversed."

Among the faithful, voices can be heard that the call for the truth is coming late. But many still react positively and declare that the disclosure of even their most difficult truth will not shake their belief in God, and the bishops' latest move actually strengthens their belief in the Church.

"I think it's good that they took a stand on that. I trust in God, I don't trust in people. My faith has not changed. I believe as I used to."

Greeting pilgrims from Poland after the Angelus prayer at St Peter's Square on the Sunday following the Episcopate announcement, Pope Benedict XVI also spoke of the need "to seek the truth" referring to the situation in Poland.