Foreign ministry protests in the Vatican against Polish bishops' words
Poland's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) have protested against statements by two Polish bishops which, according to the MFA, sowed division between Poles and Germans and supported local nationalists.
The protest, in which Poland expressed "indignation over the recent unacceptable statements" made by Bishops Wieslaw Mering and Antoni Dlugosz, was handed to the Holy See's Chief of Protocol Javier Domingo Fernández González on Tuesday.
Bishop Mering said during a mass on Saturday that "we're ruled by people who call themselves Germans" and cited an 18th-century Polish poet, who said that "a German will not be a brother to a Pole."
He also warned against immigrants, citing two cases of murder in his province in which the suspects were of foreign descent.
Dlugosz, on Friday, called on listeners of the Catholic Radio Maryja to pray for members of the self-proclaimed Movement for Border Protection, groups organised by the nationalist activist Robert Bakiewicz in order to "protect" Poland's borders from immigrants. The bishop called them "volunteers" who "selflessly organise patrols."
The government has recently banned such patrols at border crossings as their members, among other activities, stopped cars and demanded documents from travellers, a task that is legally reserved for law enforcement agencies.
Dlugosz also said that German border guards "throw illegal immigrants to our side like objects."
"We cannot agree to statements containing hurtful and unacceptable words that undermine the fundamental principles of human dignity, as well as the sovereignty of the government of the Republic of Poland," the MFA wrote.
The ministry also said that the bishops' words "undermine good Polish-German relations, denigrate the government and imply clear support for nationalist circles."
The ministry expressed its expectation that the Vatican would take disciplinary action against its bishops.
Foreign Minister Radoslaw Sikorski said in Brussels on Tuesday that the interference of Catholic bishops in party politics in Poland "is incompatible with the Concordat," an agreement governing relations between the Vatican and Poland, signed in 1993. (PAP) jd/jch
