Church under attack, says leading archbishop

Jozef Michalik, Roman Catholic Archbishop of Przemysl, and chairman of the central organ of the Polish RC Church, outlined his thoughts in a pastoral letter to mark the first Sunday of Lent.

“Note that the new global culture springs from postmodernism, which promotes moral relativism, abortion, same-sex marriage, homosexuality and so forth.”

Archbishop Michalik argued that this global “cultural revolution” fundamentally “excludes God and his commandments.”

However, he claimed that “divisions within the Church are even more dangerous.”

The most publicised recent instance of clerical divisions came in November, when Father Adam Boniecki, long-serving editor of progressive clerical weekly Tygodnik Powszechny, was ordered to desist from making public statements beyond the pages of the journal.

Online campaigns sprung up in support of Boniecki, challenging the decision of the Congregation of Marian Fathers, to which Boniecki belongs.

Archbishop Michalik stated in his pastoral letter that the faithful should “encourage each other in common humility and obedience to the Church.” (nh/jb)