Thousands of Poles demonstrate to defend the reputation of ex-Pope John Paul II

A march in defense of former Polish Pope John Paul II in Warsaw, April 2, 2023. © Czarek Sokolowski / AP

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John Paul II was recently accused of covering up crimes of pedophilia when he was archbishop, in a country known for its attachment to the Catholic faith.

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On horseback, in historical costume or just with a yellow and white flag of the Vatican or white and red of Poland, tens of thousands of Poles followed this Sunday, April 2 in Warsaw a "National March for the Pope" who died in April 2005. The march was organised by Catholic organisations and circles with the support of the government and the ruling populist nationalist party (PiS). The Polish Minister of Defence, Mariusz Blaszczak, took part.

«

Just as every honest man defends his children, his father and his mother, every Pole defends John Paul II. " read one of the placards in the demonstration. "We pass the test by carrying the truth, which must oppose lies, slander and insults," Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki tweeted.

"Bywa nieraz, że stajemy w obliczu prawd, dla których brakuje słów". Mija 18 lat od tamtego wieczoru, gdy do Domu Ojca odszedł nasz Drogi i Kochany Jan Paweł II. Tamtego wieczoru modliliśmy się w świątyniach, w domach, a nawet choćby w myślach za Niego. Był dla nas... pic.twitter.com/bk5ztfvfhW

— Mateusz Morawiecki (@MorawieckiM) April 2, 2023

His chancellery, that of President Andrzej Duda and members of the PiS have published on their websites messages in defense of the memory of the former pontiff, particularly venerated in Poland, even if the official cult of Saint John Paul II is also cracking there, especially among young people.

► READ ALSO: In Poland, the ruling party asks schools to display the portrait of John Paul II

Concert and cream cakes

A concert was to be held in the evening on the main square of Wadowice (south), Karol Wojtyla's hometown, organized by state television, which was to be attended by Mateusz Morawiecki and Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the leader of the PiS. The latter "thanked God for this immeasurable gift that was and remains the Polish pope for the Church, for Poland and for the world," in a letter to members of his party. President Duda is due to visit the Vatican on Monday to pay his respects at the tomb of John Paul II.

National railway company PKP on Sunday handed out cream cakes enjoyed by the former pope to passengers on some express trains, according to news reports. At the same time, a statue of John Paul II was vandalized in Lodz (center): his hands were covered with red paint and the base marked with an inscription "Maxima culpa" ("The greatest fault", in Latin). This inscription refers to the book by journalist Ekke Overboek Maxima culpa. John Paul II knew, recently published in Poland. This book and a similar report on a commercial channel claimed that the future pope had covered up pedophilia cases, provoking a heated debate between the government and the Church, on the one hand, and liberals and the left on the other.

► Read also: In Poland, the icon John Paul II chipped by two journalistic investigations

(

With AFP)

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• Poland
• Religion
• Christianity