Post by pieter on Dec 30, 2005 4:39:55 GMT -7
pawian said:
pieter said:
The present situation irritates the most real catholics enormously, says the editor in chief. "An Anti-clerical reaction is possible in my view. Poles are Catholic, but they don't like it when the church, or which
authority watsoever, is interfering in their daily lives.
Yes, it is true. Poles don`t like anybody who interfers in their daily lives. It applied to Soviets and communists in the past as well as priests nowadays.
After the collapse of communism, the Polish Church was triumphant and wanted to collect the fruit of the victory. Priests started to meddle into politics and dictate people what to do. This was met with indignation, and many people were put off by some priests` behaviour.
Today Church leaders and most priests are more wary. They abstain from openly supporting anybody except for God and Jesus. Father Rydzyk and few others are infamous exceptions.
Pawian,
I already witnessed this in the last decade of Communism in Poland,
when some Polish family members mocked with the Clerical class,
saying we have to obey two rulers, the Communist nomenclatura
and the Priests of the Church.
Nowadays some familymembers and friends of my mother are
very religious Cahtolics (devout) and others tend to be more secular.
When I was in Krakow in april 2004, I loved the city, because of it's
cultural and intellectual climate, with it's cultural heart, it's student
atmosphere, it's wealth (research institutes, business area, and
florishing Middle class). I don't fear Reactionary Catholicism,
Fascism (extreme nationalism) or Communism in Poland, because
I witnessed Poles to be Modern, pragmatic and moderate people,
who have felt and experianced totalitarian rule from the right and
left. Poles are no Irish or Phillipenian (reactionary Catholic countries),
nor Franco (Catholic) Spaniards, Musolini Italians or Pinochet
Chilians. Poles fought against Nazism in Arnhem, against fascism
in Monte Casino in Italy, and against Stalinism until the end of the
fourtees in East Poland, and against Ukranian nationalism during the
war. In fact, Poles, with their experiance of their own dictators
(rightwing Colonels in the thirtees and Stalinists in the fourtees and
fiftees) should be allergic for any kind of totalitarian or Autocratic rule.
What Poles admire in America are the values of Freedom and democracy,
where in the past Poland was more focussed on the French enlightenment,
Egalité, Liberté et Fraternité. I just believe in the young Polish democracy.