– I will vote for myself and I will answer for myself when there is a specific project – added the deputy. Kowal does not hide his Christian views. He speaks openly about his faith.
Magdalena Rigamonti also raises the question of the involvement of the Holy See and Pope Francis in the war in Ukraine.
— The Holy Father speaks spontaneously, which raises objections. But even if we disagree, we have a duty to understand, says Paweł Kowal.
— Every single life is important to the Pope because he has great charisma. He believes that political issues take a back seat. Whether this is good or bad – everyone must judge for themselves – adds the MP.
— Is there an expectation that he will go to Ukraine? Is Polish diplomacy urgent or not? Rigamonti asks.
— We seek synergy with the policy of the Holy See. In many cases it is difficult, but in many cases surprisingly this synergy appears – responds Kowal.
Czestochowa failed
In the next part of the conversation, Magdalena Rigamonta asks whether Opus Dei invited the deputy to join its ranks. The deputy says that, even though he came from Oasis, the way Opus Dei works and its objectives were not attractive to him. He also talks about what has happened to Jasna Góra over the past eight years.
— The Paulines received Jasna Góra as a deposit. Częstochowa is not their property in the sense of being a piece of countryside with which they can do whatever they want, Paweł Kowal emphasizes.
— When I think of Poland, I see willows, the Royal Łazienki Park, but also Jasna Góra. It is a symbol of Polishness, an element of our identity. There is a tradition in Poland that the president speaks on the banks of Jasna Góra at important moments. These are terribly serious things, which allow ordinary politicians to speak there, Paweł Kowal emphasizes.
– It is incomprehensible to me that members of the previous government were allowed to speak from the walls of Jasna Góra, as in some Salazar system (a reference to Portugal under the conservative regime of Antonio Salazar – editor’s note), in front of the Jasna Góra icon. I just watched and could not believe what was happening there,” Kowal adds.
Next, Magdalena Rigamonti asks the deputy about his attitude towards Archbishop Jędraszewski.
— Archbishop Jędraszewski, you and several leaders of the clergy have caused great harm by accelerating secularization in Poland and spoiling the image of the Church. They have also spoiled our national attitude towards tradition. The archbishop’s behavior is scandalous. For example, due to his lack of principles when it comes to sexual crimes, but not only – Paweł Kowal emphasizes.
– For there to be a change in the way we perceive the Church, we need a bishop in Krakow who will focus on pastoral work – adds the MP.
— When did you discover that Archbishop Józef Wesołowski was a pedophile? — asks Magdalena Rigamonti. The accusations against the archbishop, who was then nuncio to the Dominican Republic, emerged in 2013. Newsweek then conducted an investigation into the matter, which confirmed some of the allegations. Wesołowski was dismissed and a year later expelled from the clerical state. He died in 2015.
— I knew Archbishop Wesołowski very well. I visited him. I knew him as a child. Then he was the apostolic nuncio to Kazakhstan, when I was deputy foreign minister. He even helped me there because he was well placed there. I remember that in Astana it was difficult to organize well, Kowal said.
— I knew him very well then, but I never had the feeling that something was wrong. When I found out about the child abuse, I never spoke to him again. I had built up trust in him over the years, says Kowal. — This event had a very negative impact on my religiosity. And although I believe that it is Christian to separate a person from his opinions or actions, because these can change in life, it was impossible for me here – emphasizes Paweł Kowal.
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Church. To some, it is a discredited institution that cynically uses religion as a tool to make money. To others, it is the rock and source of all goodness and love. “Examination of Conscience” is not just a podcast about the Church. This is a podcast about people whose careers, and sometimes entire lives, have been (or still are) influenced by the institution of the Catholic Church. If you have no religious feelings, be sure to listen. If you do, listen even more.
