In mid-July, the ministry lodged the protest after Bishop Mering claimed Poland is governed by people who identify themselves as Germans, while Bishop Długosz publicly supported far-right nationalist Robert Bąkiewicz’s Border Defense Movement during the annual Jasna Góra Appeal, a major Catholic pilgrimage in Częstochowa, southern Poland.
According to the Polish state news agency PAP, the Vatican’s response affirms respect for Polish citizens’ constitutional right to express opinions and expresses hope for dialogue with the government. It also reportedly clarified that the bishops’ statements do not reflect the official position of the Polish Episcopate, but offered no formal expression of regret.
Poland’s foreign ministry said the bishops’ comments, made in their capacity as representatives of the Polish Episcopate, “undermine good Polish-German relations, disparage the government, and clearly support nationalist movements.” The ministry also argued the remarks overstepped the boundary between Church and state.
Foreign Minister Radosław Sikorski, who also serves as Deputy Prime Minister, said clergy should refrain from party politics and exercise responsibility alongside their freedom of speech, adding that bishops’ duties do not include “pitting two Christian nations against each other.”
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Source: PAP