Intrigue in the Polish Episcopate. Surprising facts have come to light.

Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś issued a letter to the faithful , which was read to the faithful in parishes in the Łódź Diocese on Sunday, July 20. The Church hierarch responded decisively to the widespread hate against migrants.

“The refugee dispute has been fueling public discussion for several weeks now, as well as actions that – while often citing Christian motivations – in fact have little in common with Christianity,” the priest emphasized.

Cardinal Ryś appoints a special commission

In the second part of the letter , Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś stated that he intends to establish a commission in the Archdiocese of Łódź that will investigate cases of sexual abuse by clergy against children and young people.

The Church hierarch explained that "the timing of his announcement of this decision is not coincidental." He emphasized that "although this is a response to the actions of the Episcopate, it does not constitute a sign of opposition."

"You have all undoubtedly heard about the work underway in the Episcopate for over two years, aimed at establishing a commission of independent experts. At the June meeting of the Bishops' Conference, the work in its current form was halted and entrusted to Bishop Sławomir Oder for evaluation and likely redesign," Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś said. "Many of you are asking about this; many are expressing concern and disappointment, even protest," he added.

When the content of the pastoral letter came to light, experts examining the situation of the Church in Poland almost unanimously assessed that it was a kind of yellow card for the leadership of the Episcopate.

Intrigue in the Polish Episcopate. Surprising facts have come to light.

Meanwhile, Onet's findings indicate that the fact that Archbishop Wojciech Polak was removed from the commission on child abuse is the result of a larger intrigue among church hierarchy. Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś reportedly learned of the matter after the fact.

"The vote wasn't scheduled in the Polish Episcopal Conference's agenda, and the matter was moved to the very end during the meeting, when several important supporters of the wronged party's case were no longer present. As far as I know, Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś and Bishop Andrzej Czaja were missing," Michał Królikowski, a member of the dismissed panel, admitted in an interview with journalists.

Onet, however, notes that as many as 120 Polish clergy voted in favor of the decision to suspend the work of Archbishop Wojciech Polak's team. " I personally heard from one bishop that we need to consider whether further disclosure of the truth can actually serve the Church, or the opposite? This thinking is inherent to the structure of church authority," stated Professor Królikowski.