Statue of Pope John Paul II. © 1000 Words (shutterstock)
More than 1.200 Polish professors and scientists defend Pope John Paul II. against possible slander. They reject accusations that he covered up pedophilic acts of Catholic clerics.
They express this in a joint appeal in view of a "wave of accusations" against the Polish-born pope (1978-2005). A thorough analysis of the Vatican's investigative report on the dismissed U.S. Cardinal Theodore McCarrick found "no facts" that could be the basis for such accusations, the signatories said, according to Polish media reports (Wednesday).
Attacks against commemoration
They criticize the allegations for "transforming the image of a person who deserves the highest respect into someone complicit in heinous crimes". Such attacks against the commemoration of John Paul II. they received with sadness and great concern.
As people working in academia, they understood the need for an in-depth study of the biographies of outstanding historical figures. "But balanced reflection and thorough analysis have nothing to do with emotional destruction of the image that is not based on reason or is ideologically motivated," the appeal states.
The text was also signed by former Polish prime minister and later ambassador to the Vatican, Hanna Suchocka, film director Krzysztof Zanussi and other well-known figures working at universities. "By celebrating John Paul II. slander and reject, they do not harm him, but themselves alone very much", they emphasize.
Because the accusers showed that they had no respect for historical achievements. He said the pope had a positive influence on world history. He had been an important promoter of the idea of freedom of people and nations.
Accusations after "McCarrick Report
The Vatican had reported on 10. November presented the curia leadership's roughly 450-page report on the rise of McCarrick, now 90 years old. McCarrick was dismissed from the cardinalate in 2018 and from the clergy in 2019 following allegations of sexual abuse of minors. McCarrick's misconduct had been rumored since the 1990s, according to the Vatican report, but did not prevent his rise in the church hierarchy.
A recent poll in Poland came to a more nuanced conclusion. According to the survey, 51 percent of his compatriots thought John Paul II. Has not done enough to address clergy sexual abuse; 23 percent thought his actions on this were sufficient. 83 percent rated the Polish pope's tenure as good and only 6 percent as bad.