In Poland, thousands of people demonstrated today to defend the reputation of the late Roman Catholic Pope John Paul II against accusations of sexual crimes committed by clerics during his time as Archbishop of Krakow.
The demonstration in Warsaw was organized by Catholic organizations with the support of the government and the ruling Law and Justice party, and coincided with the anniversary of the death of John Paul II.
John Paul II – real name Karols Juzefs Wojtyla – was the head of the Roman Catholic Church from 1978 until his death in 2005.
“As every honest person defends his children, father and mother, all of Poland defends John Paul II,” read one of the demonstrators’ placards.
Polish Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki tweeted that it is necessary to defend the truth, and “Law and Justice” leader Jaroslav Kaczynski promised to defend the honor and good name of John Paul II.
“We thank God for this immeasurable gift that the Polish Pope was and remains to the Church, Poland and the world,” Kaczynski said in a letter to the ruling party.
Today in Lodz, the monument of John Paul II was covered with red paint and the inscription “Maxima Culpa”. The inscription is a reference to a book of the same name by the Dutch journalist Eke Overbeek, which was recently published in Poland.
The book and the investigation conducted by the private television channel TVN claim that John Paul II, when he was Archbishop of Krakow, knew about pedophilia but hid it.
