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Go Home Another Resignation

THE SPINE JANUARY 9, 2007

Another Resignation

BY TNR STAFF

No sooner had I posted the story of the resignation of Stanislaw Wojciech
Wielgus as archbishop of Warsaw, a post he had held for maybe five
minutes, O.K., five weeks, because he had been a collaborator with the
communist regime in Poland, I saw its postscript. According to AP
correspondent Vanessa Gera in Tuesday's Globe, Father Janusz
Bielanski, rector of Wawel Cathedral in beatiful old Cracow, resigned "in
connection with repeated allegations with his cooperation with the security
services of communist Poland."

The church also awaits with great trepidation the publication of a book by
Father Tadeusz Isakowicz-Zaleski who was beaten by the secret security
services. The father says that his study will document penetration of the
church by the political police in Cracow. Of course, there's something
suspicious about the name, Isakowicz-Zaleski. The hyphenate sounds vaguely
Jewish. Priest, yes. But maybe also a Jew in sheep's clothing. After
all, as noted in my previous Spine, aren't the Jews trying to destroy this
church?

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28 comments

According to Polish Wikipedia, he's a Polish Armenian. Not that facts get in the way of the kind of anti-Semitic conspiracy theorizing we sadly still see in Poland. [I am trying to remember the name of another well-known priest in Poland who recently learned, late in life, that he was actually a Jewish orphan adopted by a Catholic mother during the war....]

- litwinski

January 9, 2007 at 10:45pm

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The Catholic Church is thoroughly anti-Semitic. The conservatives who are right of William F. Buckley perceive the Jews as "Christ killers." Left wing Catholics are a bit more subtle. They focus their rage on the alleged evils of Zionism. Almost certainly, these leftists consider the Palestinians to be victims of "Israeil imperialism."

- thomsondavid

January 9, 2007 at 11:21pm

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Are you for real? It's hard to read some of your more wild comments with a straight face.

- litwinski

January 10, 2007 at 12:07am

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It is possible that even a hyphenated Isakowicz does not have Jewish blood of which he is aware. The best that can be said of the Roman Catholic Church is that it is not as anti-Semitic as it once was. Although that in itself is not an exceptionally high standard, it is, at least, better than the burgeoning anti-Semitic attitudes held by millions of Muslims (and Leftists and left-over skinheads).

- JBerkowicz

January 10, 2007 at 12:20am

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Anti-Semitism finds fertile, "though more complex than we appreciate," soil in Poland.

- jm_rice

January 10, 2007 at 12:36am

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"Are you for real? It's hard to read some of your more wild comments with a straight face." Wild comments? Have you ever heard of Mel Gibson or Charles E. Coughlin. As for the left, are you aware of the writings of Rosemary Radford Reuther? One merely neds to pick up a copy of the National Catholic Reporter or Commonweal to find out what liberal Catholics think of Israel and the Palestinians.

- thomsondavid

January 10, 2007 at 8:35am

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You are very sick Thomson. Mel Gibson? When did he become an official in the Church? Charles Coughlin was a radio priest in the thirties or as I like to put it 70 years ago. The Church isn't anti-Semitic. It is isn't an enemy of Western civilization. You have serious issues with the Church, I suggest some of form of therapy.

- brian@xao.com

January 10, 2007 at 9:36am

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anti-semiticism wasn't really "Catholic." You might remember that anti-semiticism seemed a poison pretty common in the period - much like Charles Lindbergh's brand of anti-semiticism.

- brian@xao.com

January 10, 2007 at 9:43am

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isn't fracking Catholic. What planet do yo live on?

- brian@xao.com

January 10, 2007 at 9:56am

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I may disagree with you 99.9% of the time but at least you are consistent and your overview global when it comes to anti-semitism. Funny where are the voices who cried out for Jimmy Carter's head now. Truly Poland's deep thread of anti-semitism is worth being concerned about. I guess for most zionist it's ok to hate Jews (Poles, Christian evangelist) as long as you don't threaten Israel.

- Yminale

January 10, 2007 at 11:25am

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I am Catholic, I went to both catholic primary and high school, I was never taught that Jews were Christ killers, in fact I remember how disturbed and saddened I was in 6th grade when the nuns taught us about the Holocaust. No true Catholic is anti-Semitic, in fact no true Catholic can be anti-any ethnic or racial grouping. Try to look up the meaning of the word Catholic sometime and you can understand this. I am also certainly a supporter of Israel, not because Jews live there but because the people who live there made the only civilized Democratic state in the Middle East, if they stopped being Democratic and civilized I would no longer support them, their being Jewish gives them no special dispensation to barbarity, even if barbarities have been inflicted upon them previously, I fundamentally disagree with many peoples interpretation of Israels defense posture, I believe it is sane and just, others have an overly high expectation of how it should behave, upon this I believe not all people who don't support Israel are anti-semitic, just naive.

- blackton

January 10, 2007 at 12:34pm

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16 years of Catholic schools here, all of them post-Vatican II. Early readers included a story of how Mike Gold became a communist, supposedly partly as a reaction to anti-semitic taunts and attacks on him when he was a child. Relentless emphasis throughout elementary school on the need for racial tolerance, sensitivity, understanding. Continued into high school, during which we were shown Truffaut's film about Auschwitz, Nuit et Brouillard, not once but three separate times, in freshman, junior and senior years. I don't recognize the Catholic Church of thomson's fevered Houston protestant imagination.

- teplukhin

January 10, 2007 at 12:50pm

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Oops, 12 years of Catholic school. My mind survived it overall, but my memory's a bit worse for the experience. :^)

- teplukhin

January 10, 2007 at 12:51pm

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I just assumed you went to Notre Dame.

- brian@xao.com

January 10, 2007 at 1:01pm

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Avoided that fate, thanks. Couldn't wait to get out of the Catholic ghetto and to a school full of non-Catholics, esp clever east coast jewish girls.

- teplukhin

January 10, 2007 at 1:06pm

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If you dig deep enough, you'll find what you are looking for. You'll find racists in the GOP, anti-semites in the Catholic Church, anti-white anti-westerners in the Dem's. Large open groups can't and won't filter out people for their views. The question you should ask is how much influence any one segment has on the larger group.

- Yminale

January 10, 2007 at 1:09pm

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Yes, I agree with you that Thomsondavid's statements are a bit over the horizon, however, your statement that "The Church isn't anti-Semitic" is a bit facile. Even if you can apply this statement to the Catholic church in general (particularly after Vatican II), in the case of Poland this is not as simple as you assume. Polish Catholic church is one of the most conservative in the world. It's past regarding antisemitism is at best checkered. I would like to relate anecdote regarding this matter: My girlfriend's sister is a Catholic nun in Toronto. She was assigned duty to teach in a Polish catholic church in one of Toronto's parishes. Before her assignment, the priest warned her: "When you refer to Jesus, you might say he was a Jew, however in regard to Mary, you must acknowledge that she was a Polish Catholic. Although this might sound funny, it also contains a great deal of truth. Mary has always been considered a protector of Poland and is frequently called a Queen of Poland. To taint her as a Jewish woman would have been unthinkable in Poland even today.

- rmakover

January 10, 2007 at 1:19pm

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That is a fascinating little bit of information.

- boxofrox

January 10, 2007 at 1:31pm

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and I am well away of the some of the anti-semitic strains in Poland (see the other discussion where I contributed articles I had read). The real question of course is whether or not the anti-semiticism is a function of the Church or a function of culture. Thomson has on this board called the Church the greatest enemy of Western civilization. To call such comments "a bit over the horizon" is to give them more credence than they deserve. Oh I am Catholic and was raised in the Church after Vatican II (I am 37). Has there been anti semitism in the history of the Church? Certainly. There has been anti semitism though out Europe's history. We are now talking about the the Church now and in generalities. This is what he said, "The Catholic Church is thoroughly anti-Semitic. " Not the Polish Church has anti-semitic elements. To call that statement a "bit over the horizon" misses the true hatred behind it. He then cites Mel Gibson, Charles E. Coughlin and Rosemary Radford Reuther as examples of the Church's continuing throughly anti-semitic nature. I guess if you aren't Catholic, it perfectly acceptable to spew such hatred.

- brian@xao.com

January 10, 2007 at 1:36pm

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(I think) called anti-catholicism the "last respectable prejudice" in the US. Usually expressed in subtle but nasty ways. Wish I had a dollar for every haughty wasp sneer I've endured over the size of my Irish Catholic family....

- teplukhin

January 10, 2007 at 1:42pm

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"I guess for most zionist it's ok to hate Jews (Poles, Christian evangelist) as long as you don't threaten Israel." Another stupifyingly idiotic minale post. Who are the "zionist" who think it's ok to hate Jews as long as you "don't touch Israel." What a scam artist this poster is. Are you being paid by some anti-Israel group or do you do your antisemitic posting pro bono?

- jacksondyer

January 10, 2007 at 2:10pm

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I miss nothing. I am simply trying to engage in civilized discussion rather than name calling. However, to claim that "Not the Polish Church has anti-semitic elements" is to show lack of knowledge of the history and the theological teachings of Polish church. And by the way, this does not apply to Polish Catholic church only. The Croatian Catholic church exhibited similar tendencies. I am far from being an expert on the issue but I would venture that it still does. I see that you are not familiar with Thomsondavid comments. I guess in time you will learn to take them for what they are. teplukhin, you are absolutely right. Particularly in the art circles, Catholic church is frequently lampooned and attacked. Of course, it is easier to attack Catholics, they don't generally behead their detractors.

- rmakover

January 10, 2007 at 2:20pm

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In the neighborhood I grew up in we don't have exactly many haught wasps and their sneers. To be honest I don't recall ever experiencing any anti-Catholicism directly growing up, then again Pa. is pretty heavily Catholic. Actually, the last respectable prejudice I have heard about was against rednecks. Oh and perhaps against haughty WASPs as well.

- blackton

January 10, 2007 at 3:08pm

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The following link to an article by Alan Dershowitz regarding Norman Finkelstein who teaches at DePaul University may be of interest: http://tinyurl.com/lxec4 Thomas Klocek who also taught at DePaul was pushed out the door for defending Israel! Why are many you so ignorant about these matters? What in hell are you reading? This information is easy to find. Have you never heard of Alan Dershowitz?

- thomsondavid

January 10, 2007 at 3:31pm

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Brian is on the right track above when he asked whether anti-semitism in Poland was a product of the Church or a product of the culture. This seems to me a 'chicken and egg' problem. Priests and nuns are products of their cultures and carry those cultural influences into their religious expression, including their interpretation of Church teachings. This obviously sets up a self-reinforcing cycle that makes rooting out anti-semitism or other pernicious beliefs that much more difficult.

- cjohnson005

January 10, 2007 at 3:51pm

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"Thomson has on this board called the Church the greatest enemy of Western civilization." Greatest enemy? That is false. The Islamic nihilists hold that dubious honor. No, the Catholic Church is merely one of the modern day enemies of Weatern Civilization. Oriana Fallaci ironically was something of a personal friend of the present pope. Nonethtless, she had to concede that "This Catholic Church without he Islamization of Europe, the degeneration of Europe into Eurobia, could never have developed."

- thomsondavid

January 10, 2007 at 4:10pm

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blackie, you're right, I'm a diehard haughty-hater. Guilty as charged.

- teplukhin

January 10, 2007 at 4:13pm

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So do SE Asian Chinese minorities, Indians in Africa, Tutsis in Rwanda, Lebanese in Central America, etc. Or Americans, in a global sense. "Market-dominant minorities" all, per Amy Chua. Why single out Poland? This is a global phenomenon.

- Robert Powell

January 11, 2007 at 6:43pm

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