By FRANCE 24 Szczecin, Poland (text)
16 May 2013
An interview by two FRANCE24 journalists with a Polish priest who is being investigated for alleged child abuse ended in a violent confrontation on Sunday. The video has sparked outrage in deeply Catholic Poland.
An attempted interview by two FRANCE 24 journalists with a priest accused of paedophilia ended in a violent confrontation on Sunday. The video has caused consternation in Poland, where the event has seemingly underscored rising tensions over the Catholic Church’s alleged efforts to cover up sex abuse.
FRANCE 24’s correspondent Gulliver Cragg and cameraman Tomasz Lubik requested an interview with the priest and as a result were briefly held against their will on May 12. The parish priest in the city of Szczecin invited them into the rectory, locked the door and tried to physically prevent them from leaving. The two journalists eventually managed to escape when the priest dropped his keys.
The video is part of a longer in-depth report about alleged child abuse by priests in Poland, one of Europe’s most Catholic countries.
Cragg said that after being confronted about the incident, the parish in question had denied the event had ever occurred and threatened to sue him for trespassing and slander.
Watch the video. Be sure to watch the video. And keep the victims in Poland in your prayers – things are bad here in Canada, but not perhaps as bad as Poland?
Very brave men to be swimming in this “shark tank”….Talk about being alone and left with very little protection from the “supporters”, the “defenders” or the just plain deaf and blind “in denial”…They will need prayers and good survival instincts to confront the gauntlet of “the church” mechanics…
Who could a priest call is such a situation where he needs “support” to defend him against accusations of pedophilia?… Was he calling another member of the “club”?…Sounds to me like the alarm was going out to another(other) partner(s) in crime!! In a situation like the one exposed he needed to have absolute conviction the person at the other end would understand without much explanation and respond accordingly, with haste.
Another chapter from the “dark ages” may be about to be written.
Definitely concerned for these “heroes” facing a system with so much to loose.
Another house of cards sold as a castle to the faithful.
I hope their beliefs are strong enough and enlightened enough to choose “saving” the Child…from those infested, crumbling buildings and minds…
To be followed closely!
jg
Thanks so much for posting this video, Sylvia! I had the opportunity to sit across from the journalist who wrote the book that broke this story, as well as one of the victims, at the S.N.A.P. conference in Dublin. Very brave men indeed!!!! I can’t imagine what viewing this video would do to this priest’s victims. The arrogance of this man!
Please know that these Polish victims feel able to come forward due to the courage of survivors before them. As each of us tells our story, we build the supports for new victims to come forward.
It’s amazing that the Church seems to be able to disseminate teachings about the evils of gay marriage, abortion, etc so easily, and yet doesn’t seem to recognize the true evil of child rape that is in their midst.
Yes, they are brave men indeed. And, so true, virtually all victims who come forward have found their strength through the courage of others. Each one who speaks up touches the lives of so many others. Often you do not know the impact your words have on the victim who is struggling desperately to break loose of the silence and shame which have enveloped him/her for so long. Silence is always foe to the victim and friend to the molester.
I speak often to victims who tell me they have been following the site faithfully for months, sometimes years – reading and digesting every word, struggling to find the courage to step beyond the shame and put it smack dab where it belongs, and so afraid.
That first step, as each of you knows, is huge.
I wish those men the best, and pray that they will be blessed with every ounce of the courage they will need to swim against the tide, as they must.
I don’t think it’s a case of not recognizing the evil Leona. That gives ‘them’ credit for ignorance of the “problem,” and I’m hard pressed to believe in this day and age that there is a bishop anywhere in the world who is not aware that the Church has been rocked and torn apart by these sex abuse scandal.
There are many wolves in sheep’s clothing who have hijacked the Church. They have been in control for too long. They won’t roll over – they will fight to retain control.
You mention the Church which seems to “disseminate teachings about the evils of gay marriage, abortion, etc” so easily. My experience has been that dissemination has been akin to the response to clerical sexual abuse – at the 11th hour, kicking and screaming all the way :).
I should have put “evils” in brackets. Their words not mine. An organization that so readily ignores their own evils has no business preaching about the morality of others.
Welcome to the Christian Mafia! Welcome to God’s house! I’ve heard enough. Mike.
The point I’m making here is that I’m tired and very weary of all the pussy-footing around about this so-called Christian church.
It is NOT a Christian church! It harbours sexual criminals, it lies, it is deceitful, and it is one of the wealthiest corporations on earth!
It hides behind “canon law”, which is no more than self-made interpretations designed to serve it’s wealth and corruption.
All the piffle I hear about good intentions and Christian charity is just a sham and a joke.
The gloves are now OFF! Practise what you preach, or stay out of my face and my life forever.
You are so right PJ! Pervert collars, nothing more and nothing less. Witness the Christian mafia. Mike.
Atta boy Mike………..I am happy to finally see you angry. I know that you know what I mean by that.
John