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Skriven 2007-01-15 22:06:50 av Marc Lewis (1:396/45)
Ärende: Vatican Information Service - Press Release
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                               VIS-Press releases

LETTER FROM POLISH BISHOPS TO THE FAITHFUL

VATICAN CITY, JAN 14, 2007 (VIS) - Polish cardinals and bishops meeting this
week in plenary session - members of the permanent council of the Polish
Episcopal Conference and diocesan bishops - have sent a letter to all the
faithful of the Church in Poland. The letter was read out today in all the
country's parishes.

"In recent days," the prelates begin their letter, which was also made public
in Italian and English translations, "we have experienced dramatic events
related to Archbishop Stanislaw Wielgus of Warsaw resigning from office. ...
With sadness, we have followed the accusations brought against him in recent
weeks. ... We are grateful to the Holy Father Benedict XVI for his fatherly
help in the difficult situation we face. Thanks to his resolve ... we are
better prepared to live through this unusual time courageously and fruitfully."

The Polish bishops note that "not taking into account the widely accepted rule
of the presumption of innocence helped to apply pressure to the accused
archbishop, which did not make it easy for him to present public opinion with
an appropriate defense, to which he is entitled."

Later in their letter, the bishops write: "We wish Ash Wednesday, February 21,
to be a day of prayer and repentance for the entire Polish clergy. In all the
churches in our dioceses services to the Merciful God should be celebrated for
forgiveness of mistakes and weaknesses in the proclamation of the Gospel."

"We appeal to those in power and to members of parliament to ensure that
materials found in the archives of the Popular Republic of Poland are used in
such a way as not to encroach upon the rights of a human person and demean the
dignity of man, and to ensure that such materials may be verified in an
independent court of justice. Nor should it be forgotten that the documents
incriminate their authors above all."

"We ask everyone to refrain from passing superficial and rash judgements, for
they can be damaging. We mean especially those who work in the media. May
Christian conscience and human sensibility suggest to them what should be
presented to public opinion and how it should be done, always taking into
account the dignity of the human person, and the right to defense and good
name, even after one's death."

The Polish prelates conclude their letter: "We believe that our current
experience will contribute to a renewal of the Church, to a greater
transparency and maturity of her members. We believe that it will help the
Church to be faithful to the Gospel and look to it for solutions of our
problems, to be reborn from it, in order to be a leaven of good and love in the
world."
.../WIELGUS/POLISH BISHOPSVIS 070115 (470)

SUMMARY

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