Posted on 01/07/2007 3:23:01 AM PST by bd476
Polish archbishop quits amid row
The controversial Archbishop of Warsaw has resigned, less than an hour before he was due to be installed in his post.
Stanislaw Wielgus has been at the centre of a communist-era spying row, and recently admitted collaborating with the secret police.
He announced the decision in person at a special Mass for his installation, to a mixture of applause and shouting.
The Vatican's mission in Poland said in a statement that Pope Benedict XVI had accepted the archbishop's resignation.
The Pope has asked Cardinal Jozef Glemp, Archbishop Wielgus' predecessor, to return to his post temporarily "until further decisions have been taken concerning the archdiocese", the brief statement added.
The BBC's David Willey in Rome says the archbishop was under tremendous pressure to resign, but the decision to step down minutes before his lavish inauguration is unprecedented.
Poland's president was expected to attend the event, which has now been turned into a service in honour of Cardinal Glemp.
Shocking
Archbishop Wielgus was consecrated in a closed-door ceremony on Friday.
The archbishop (L) will be replaced by his
predecessor, Cardinal Glemp
But he publicly admitted his collaboration, and a statement acknowledging he had not been truthful about the matter in the past was read out in churches throughout Poland on Saturday.
He announced his resignation on Sunday morning, following urgent talks between Polish and Vatican officials overnight.
Announcing his decision at the service with tears in his eyes, the archbishop said he had reached the decision after much reflection.
There was an immediate reaction from the congregation with applause, cheers and shouting.
People who had expected to see him inaugurated reacted by saying: "No, you can't do this."
The BBC's Adam Easton in Warsaw says that in a country where the Catholic Church plays such an important role, this scandal could hardly have been more shocking.
The Polish Church has launched a series of investigations in recent years to identify collaborators.
Krakow Archbishop Stanislaw Dziwisz, who heads an investigation in his home diocese, said the communist era had been "a time of persecution of the Church, often bloody and brutal".
'No informing'
The decision to appoint Archbishop Wielgus divided opinion in the staunchly Catholic country.
In one survey, two-thirds of people asked, said Archbishop Wielgus should resign.
His admission came after a Church commission acknowledged he had collaborated with the communist secret police.
Archbishop Wielgus said he had had contacts with security agents, but denied informing on priests.
He said documents suggesting otherwise were drawn up only by communist "functionaries".
Pope Benedict XVI made the appointment last month.
Just before Christmas, the Vatican released a statement insisting the Pope had been fully briefed on Archbishop Wielgus' past and supported his appointment.
The Church plays a very prominent role in Polish society and was highly esteemed because of its leading role in the fight against communism in Poland and worldwide, particularly during the time of Polish Pope John Paul II.
But historians estimate that up to 15% of Polish clergy agreed to inform on their colleagues in the communist era.
Ping!
Probably means this story is not going to die.
Ping!
ABC News
Warsaw Archbishop Resigns Amid Scandal
Warsaw Archbishop Resigns Amid Scandal Over Communist-Era Secret Police Contacts
A file photo of Warsaw's new archbishop, Stanislaw Wielgus, taken in Plock, Poland, on Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2006. Poland's Roman Catholic Church said Friday, Jan. 5, 2007 it has evidence that Wielgus collaborated with the hated communist-era secret police, but no proof his actions hurt anyone. Later Friday, Wielgus denied collaborating or causing anyone harm. ( AP Photo/PAP, Pawel Kubicki, File)
WARSAW, Poland Jan 7, 2007 (AP) Warsaw's new archbishop resigned amid a scandal about his cooperation with the communist-era secret police, Poland's Roman Catholic Church said Sunday.
Archbishop Stanislaw Wielgus, who took the office on Friday, has submitted his resignation, Poland's Episcopate said in a statement.
The church said Pope Benedict XVI asked the outgoing archbishop, Cardinal Jozef Glemp, to administer the archdiocese until a replacement is found.
A furor had grown around Wielgus since the allegations were first raised Dec. 20 by a Polish weekly, with demands that he step down from his post.
The church in Poland, a heavily Roman Catholic country, enjoys high esteem for its opposition to the former Communist government. Catholics here revere the late Polish-born Pope John Paul II credited by some with hastening the regime's fall.
The scandal gained intensity after church officials said Friday that documents at a historical institute indicated Wielgus had willingly collaborated.
Newspapers Friday devoted their front pages to the revelations, even as Wielgus took canonical vows as required by church law ahead of his installation.
"Stop the installation," the daily Dziennik wrote in large bold print on its front page, arguing that to allow a "former agent" to hold a top church post would amount to a "moral scandal."
Wielgus acknowledged Friday that he did have contact with the secret service, but he said that documents indicating he collaborated were written by the secret police and reflected their account of events, not the truth.
The allegations first surfaced in the right-wing Gazeta Polska weekly, two weeks after the Vatican appointed him archbishop of Warsaw. Wielgus initially denied any collaboration.
Wielgus, who had been bishop of Plock since 1999, said Friday that he was leaving his fate in the hands of the pope: "With full humility, I declare to the Holy Father that I will submit to each of his decisions."
The Vatican had named Wielgus to replace Cardinal Jozef Glemp, who stepped down after more than 25 years as archbishop of Warsaw.
Warsaw Archbishop Resigns Amid Scandal
You're probably right. Stories like this don't usually fade away.
News of a book exposing communist collaborators within the Roman Catholic community of Priests in Poland surfaced in October 2006.
Book to reveal identity of Communist-era spies among Polish clergy
Ping!
The communists probably had something on him, maybe homosexual activity which seems to be popular among priests, and so he was just blackmailed. That's my guess.
so..........what did the secret police hold over this guys head to get info from him?
quid-pro-quo, right?
thanks for the details.
Ping to #17. Hardcore stuff.
Happens. Actually, it is an occasion for a great rejoicing, for it could be a large step towards the much needed complete decommunization.
Now if we could just do something about the socialist faction.
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