“We are filled with sadness by the continual attempts to discredit the authority of Saint John Paul II in our country. Such actions are unjust and offensive, especially because they are directed against a man to whom not only the Church and our nation, but the entire world, owe so much,” the Polish bishops wrote in an appeal issued during the Plenary Assembly of the Polish Episcopal Conference held on November 22, 2025.

In the era of the Tusk government – just as during the dark years of the communist regime – the figure of Pope Wojtyła is being attacked and denigrated in an attempt to diminish his historical role and the importance of his Magisterium, to cast doubt on his moral stature, and to erase his memory from the minds of the younger generations of Poles. These attacks have deep roots.

The Communist Era: Religion as the “Opium of the People,” the Church as an Enemy to Be Destroyed

From 1945 to 1989, Poland lived under a communist regime imposed on the nation by the arrival of the Red Army: the “liberators” from German occupation became the new occupiers. The communists regarded religion as the “opium of the people,” and therefore saw the Church as an enemy of the system. To fight it, a special department – the notorious Department IV – was created within the Ministry of the Interior (MSW) exclusively to combat the Church. At that time, the regime spoke of the struggle against the “reactionary clergy.” Among the main targets of the secret services were two charismatic cardinals: Stefan Wyszyński and Karol Wojtyła.

The communist regime always viewed with hostility the man who had first been Archbishop of Kraków and later became Pope. During John Paul II’s pilgrimages to his homeland, the regime’s services organized all kinds of provocations and did everything possible to discredit him. Until 1989 they worked tirelessly to minimize the impact of the Pope’s pastoral activity in Poland. Yet even after the democratic turning point of 1989, the same former communist forces continued to criticize John Paul II, allying themselves with liberal anti-clerical circles and with so-called “open” Catholics who could not tolerate the “conservative” line of Wojtyła’s Church.

The Anti-Clerical Coalition Aiming to Destroy John Paul II’s Legacy in “Democratic” Poland

In post-1989 “democratic” Poland, various anti-clerical forces have worked – and continue to work – to destroy the “Wojtyła myth. A genuine media coalition has formed with the explicit goal of breaking with the heritage of John Paul II. It includes Gazeta Wyborcza, the weekly Newsweek, the television station TVN, and the news portal Onet. TVN – the channel most aggressively attacking the Church, Christian values, and Polish identity, and today the spearhead in defaming John Paul II – was founded by individuals linked to the communist regime and its secret services. Newsweek and Onet, though Polish-language outlets, belong to the Swiss-German media giant Ringier Axel Springer and follow a decidedly anti-clerical, liberal-libertine, and anti-Polish editorial line.

Unfortunately, real and alleged cases of sexual abuse of minors by clergy, along with accusations that the hierarchy tolerated pedophilia, have provided these media with a powerful weapon to strike at both the Church and John Paul II.

Twenty years after his death, the younger generation of Poles often no longer recognizes the greatness of John Paul II and frequently falls victim to the hate campaign that stains his memory even in his own homeland. In recent years Polish social media have been flooded with insulting memes against Wojtyła as part of a genuine defamation campaign. As Msgr. Jan Machniak, professor at the Pontifical University of John Paul II in Kraków, observed: “Attacking John Paul II and the people close to him aims to destroy the immense heritage the Pope left not only to the Church but to all humanity.” Cardinal Stanisław Dziwisz, John Paul II’s longtime personal secretary, addressing the faithful in Kraków, declared: “Do not allow the due honor to be taken away from the one who renewed Poland and the world and became the pride of our nation among the nations of the world.”

“No” to the John Paul II “Memory and Identity” Museum

In 2005, the last book written by John Paul II was published under the title Memory and Identity, a profound reflection on Polish history, on Europe’s identity shaped by Christianity, and on the mystery of evil embodied in the great totalitarian systems. When the idea arose in Poland to create a museum dedicated to the intellectual legacy of Saint John Paul II, it was decided to name it the “Memory and Identity” Museum – a museum of Polish history seen through the eyes of Pope Wojtyła, exactly as narrated in that book. Located in the city of Toruń, the museum was co-founded by the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage and the Lux Veritatis Foundation. Today, with the buildings completed and only the final exhibition pending, the new government’s Ministry of Culture is doing everything possible to destroy this great initiative – like many others intended to keep the Polish Pope’s memory alive. The Tusk government, the most anti-clerical in decades, is acting out of pure ideological motives, even to the point of breaking signed agreements and lying about contractual conditions with the Lux Veritatis Foundation.

The Bishops Call for Respect for Saint John Paul II

The smear campaign against the greatest of all Poles has never stopped. Forces that sow hatred against Saint John Paul II continue to operate, also with the aim of wounding the Polish Church and weakening the faith of the nation. In this situation, the pastors of the Catholic Church in Poland, gathered for the 403rd Plenary Assembly of the Polish Episcopal Conference at the Jasna Góra monastery in Częstochowa on November 22, 2025, signed an appeal to the Polish people. Here is the full text:

“The history of Poland has known many important and outstanding figures who have helped shape it and influence its social, political, cultural and religious face. Among them, Saint John Paul II undoubtedly stands out.

Of particular importance are his teachings, which in a clear and coherent way bring people closer to spiritual richness and the light of the Gospel, defend true freedom, human dignity and the right to life of every person, show the inestimable value of marriage and the family, and help understand contemporary problems in order to solve them effectively. Saint John Paul II was an eloquent voice for the poor, the persecuted, the discriminated against, the abused and the enslaved. Thanks to his ministry, many nations regained freedom and many individuals came to believe in Christ, rediscovered the meaning of life, strengthened their hope and changed their lives.

His pontificate contributed decisively to the fall of communism and the restoration of unity in Europe. The Pope himself reminded us that for this unity to stand the test of time it must be based on Christian values. He taught that preserving it requires above all solidarity between people, which he defined as “one with the other, and not one against the other.”

It takes great bad faith not to see the immense wealth of good that is the fruit of his extremely hardworking and creative ministry on the Chair of Peter and of the contribution he made to positive change in Poland. That is why the continual attempts to discredit his authority in our country fill us with sadness. Such actions are unjust and hurtful, especially since they are directed against a man to whom not only the Church and our nation, but the whole world, owe so much. In them we find, as a new confirmation, the painful words of Jesus about the inhabitants of his native town of Nazareth: “A prophet is not without honor except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house” (Mk 6:4).

We thank all those who defend respect for the teaching, heritage and good name of Saint John Paul II, one of the greatest Poles in the history of our Homeland.”