Europe is being “ruined” by a “moral crisis” with people “misunderstanding freedom as debauchery”, says the head of the Catholic church in Poland. However, the continent can be saved if people “surrender to Jesus” and understand that “freedom is [about] service” and “sacrifice”, he adds.
Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki, president of the the Polish Episcopal Conference (KEP), was speaking at Jasna Góra, Poland’s holiest Catholic shrine, on 3 May, which is celebrated as the Feast of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Poland.
Solemn blessing of the President of the Polish Bishops' Conference and representatives of the Episcopate gathered at #JasnaGora on the eve of the Solemnity of the Blessed Virgin Mary Queen of Poland. https://t.co/lU7J797tp0
— Church in Poland (@ChurchInPoland) May 2, 2021
In his homily, Gądecki reflected on the nature of freedom in today’s world. He said that the “love of freedom and the search for it by individuals and nations is a positive sign of our times”. However, he also warned that “many people believe that there is absolute freedom” and that “freedom requires independence from moral principles”.
“This superstition is especially common in the worlds of science and art,” continued the archbishop. “It is claimed that a scientist should be guided by the progress of knowledge, and the artist by expressing his ideals, regardless of any moral principles.”
“If that were the case, if science should really be free from moral principles, it would mean that German doctors conducting experiments on concentration camp prisoners had the full right to do so and are completely innocent,” he argued.
“People easily perceive economic, social, political and cultural crises, but put mental, spiritual and moral crises into the background,” said Gądecki. “Yet it is the latter who are the most dangerous; they have now covered Europe and are already ruining Poland.”
However, “despite the common misunderstanding of freedom as debauchery, I am convinced that surrender to Jesus by the hands of Mary is still possible and even attractive”, claimed the archbishop.
“Freedom is not about being able to do anything; it is freedom to [do] good,” he explained. “Man becomes free insofar as he comes to know the truth; insofar as it – and not any other force – guides his will.”
“Jesus’ freedom is [about] service,” Gądecki concluded. “Christian freedom is…an imitation of Christ in giving himself up to the sacrifice of the cross…We need each of us to zealously follow this unmatched example of service left to us by Mary, our Mother and Queen.”
With the vast majority of people in Poland – over 90% – officially classified as Catholic, the church retains a strong influence. However, it has suffered from declining religious attendance and a growing number of apostasies in recent years.
That process has been accelerated by revelations of child sex abuse and allegations it has been covered up by the church hierarchy. Recent anger over a near-total ban on abortion has also been directed against the church. Opinions polls show a significant decline in trust towards the institution, especially among the young.
Last year, Gądecki claimed that the mass protests against the abortion ban are the result of young people being led astray by streaming services and social media, which “cultural Marxists” use to “promote homosexuality, hedonism and promiscuity”.
Main image credit: EpiskopatNews/Flickr (under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0)
Daniel Tilles is editor-in-chief of Notes from Poland. He has written on Polish affairs for a wide range of publications, including Foreign Policy, POLITICO Europe, EUobserver and Dziennik Gazeta Prawna.
