Posted on 07/26/2016 9:02:42 AM PDT by marshmallow
Warsaw (AFP) - A portrait of Pope Francis hanging in Warsaw's St. Saviour Church is flanked by another, much larger one, showing the smiling late Polish-born pontiff and saint, John Paul II.
In Poland, Karol Wojtyla is still "The Pope".
Experts say Francis will have a hard time winning over hearts and minds in the devout central European country as he arrives Wednesday for his first visit, part of the week-long World Youth Day faith extravaganza.
While Poland shunned refugees over alleged security risks amid Europe's worst migration crisis since World War II, Francis encouraged open doors and charity for those fleeing conflict -- regardless of their faith.
Howls of criticism -- and even hate speech -- went up in ethnically homogenous, conservative Poland when the Catholic faithful saw Francis washing the feet of three Muslim asylum seekers during Easter celebrations in Italy.
The deeply Christian gesture, modelled on Jesus washing the feet of his disciples, triggered an unprecedented level of online vitriol against a pontiff, says Ignacy Dudkiewicz, an editor for the Kontakt magazine, focused on progressive young Catholics in Warsaw.
"Francis has been dragged through the mud because of his position on refugees," he told AFP.
Staunchly opposed to accepting refugees, the strongly Catholic rightwing government of Prime Minister Beata Szydlo released 803,000 euros ($883,000) in funds for camps in Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey just ahead of Francis's arrival.
But critics said the move was more a gesture than a real attempt to ease the plight of refugees.
According to Zbigniew Nosowski, editor of the respected Catholic monthly Wiez, "many here think the pontiff's message of mercy and compassion for refugees and the poor is exaggerated".
Arch-conservative Catholic journalists have gone so far as to question the legitimacy of his election, even accusing Francis of wanting to destroy........
(Excerpt) Read more at yahoo.com ...
RE “... real attempt to ease the plight of refugees. ...”
There wouldn’t BE any “plight of refugees” if the morons would just stop killing each other (and other innocent folks) and learn how to live in the 21st Century.
Bringing them into our lands is just spreading the insanity.
Poland is absolutely correct and 100% within their rights to stop it. As are we.
Pope Frank ain’t worthy enough to wipe Pope John Paul II’s butt.
Frankie The Red...
One Pope fought the bastards; one embraces them.
Strange times we live in...
I believe that the people of Poland have rather long memories and will remember in horrendous detail the decades long period in the 1900’s, and their suffering under FOREIGN element from both WEST and then EAST. They remember the fight of Karol Woltya to help free the people of the landof his birth.
Most Poles have pretty good eyesight, and can well see what is going on in those countries that welcomed millions of FOREIGN elements from the SOUTH.
I wish them luck.
Mr. Bergolio is a communist agitator. Period.
Poles also remember that it was their great king, Jan Sobieski, who stopped the Muslim invasion of Central Europe at the very gates of Vienna in the seventeenth century.
God Bless the 50% of my heritage!
“Poland shunned refugees over ALLEGED security risks”?
(Everybody knows Poland has as many terror attacks as Germany and France.)
Criticism of the pope is “hate speech”?
(Report those traditionalists to the Human Rights Commissioner!)
“Unprecedented level of vitriol”?
The writer must be too young to remember JP’s visit to Belgium.
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