Tusk cannot stand all those who oppose his power, which is becoming increasingly absolute: first and foremost the opposition politicians, the media, but also the Church. It must always be remembered that the government that started functioning on December 13, 2023, is the most anti-clerical since the democratic shift in 1989. The “Europeanist” prime minister has taken over public television and other media, then destroyed the prosecutor’s office, and now is attacking the Church, which in Poland has always been a guarantee of independence and freedom. For some time now, the targets of his attacks have been the Catholic media founded and managed by the Redemptorist fathers: Radio Maria, Trwam TV, the daily Nasz Dziennik, and the person of the director, Father Tadeusz Rydzyk. This anti-Catholic propaganda is constantly broadcast by the mainstream media and fueled by Tusk’s own attacks. The latest of these personal attacks took place on December 5, during a press conference following Tusk’s meeting with the President of the European Parliament, Roberta Metsola.
But recently, another very serious incident occurred: at the request of the Regional Prosecutor’s Office in Rzeszów, agents of the CBA (Central Anti-Corruption Bureau) entered the premises of the Lux Veritatis Foundation, broadcaster of Trwam TV. This was not a coincidence: the agents entered to obtain documents concerning the Foundation’s cooperation with the Ministry of Culture and National Heritage for the construction of the Museum of Memory and Identity. The case concerns proceedings against former Culture Minister Piotr Gliński, who is accused of having funded the construction of this Museum. If it is a crime to support cultural institutions by the Ministry of Culture, we are facing an absurd and very serious accusation. The case is even more serious considering it only affects the museum where Poland’s history is presented from the perspective of John Paul II. Its name “Memory and Identity” recalls the title of Pope John Paul II’s book, which is a reflection on history and the mystery of evil, embodied in the great totalitarian systems of the twentieth century such as Nazism and communism, which produced the Holocaust, gulags, and mass exterminations. It is the autobiographical testimony of a man who fought to overcome evil. And the current rulers wanted to attack precisely this important cultural and historical institution. However, the minister has not been accused of funding another museum, the POLIN Museum (Museum of the History of Polish Jews).
It should be emphasized that the Lux Veritatis Foundation and Trwam TV are not suspects in the case involving Minister Gliński. But they are looking for some irregularity in these institutions to attack the former Minister of Culture. Tusk continually insinuates that “shady deals” were being made in these institutions, and for several months continuous inspections have been ongoing at the headquarters of the works founded by Father Rydzyk, inspections that have found no irregularities.
Mons. Wiesław Mering, Bishop Emeritus of Włocławek, does not hide his indignation, saying that Tusk “is turning the entire state apparatus against Father Rydzyk, against Radio Maria and the Church. Preaching faith and evangelizing Poland is a ‘suspicious business’ for him. He speaks with disdain about the father director, omitting that he is a priest.” “The attack on the founder and director of Radio Maria, triggered to coincide with the 33rd anniversary of the broadcaster’s founding, is very telling. There were attacks already during Donald Tusk’s previous government: now they have returned with new strength. But those who stand on the side of truth should not be afraid,” adds Mons. Mering.
The shameful words of Tusk against Father Rydzyk were also commented on by Professor Janusz Kawecki, president of the Radio Maria support group: “This statement clearly shows that putting power in this man’s hands leads to the destruction of the entire country. Donald Tusk says every time that Poland needs peace, but he antagonizes people and destroys everything that has been built and that unites Poles in a wonderful community. His task as head of the government is to build, not destroy, especially what is dear to Catholics in Poland.”
And the campaign of manipulation and lies against Father Rydzyk does not stop. On the internet, you can see the pseudo-report by Rafał Stangreciak “29 Years of Impunity. The Phenomenon of Father Tadeusz.” The material was broadcast in January 2021 and subsequently in June 2024 was published online under a changed name “32 Years of Impunity. The Phenomenon of Father Tadeusz.” As explained by Father Rydzyk’s lawyer, “This is a conscious action: constant and deliberate dissemination of the same content in new packaging. The authorization for further repetitions of these lies are dangerous precedents. Every year, this same material could be re-presented with a changed title. This phenomenon deserves a decisive response to avoid the perpetuation of the dissemination of a false image of Father Rydzyk.” For this reason, the case has been filed with the Warsaw District Court.
The state-run Polish television, now under total government control, has also joined the defamation campaign. On December 13, TVP 1 aired the program “Rydzyk’s Masterpiece,” which falsely presents the circumstances of the founding of the “Memory and Identity” Museum dedicated to St. John Paul II in Torun. It is a material full of lies, distortions, and half-truths. In this case too, it was decided to react: Professor Kawecki has filed a complaint with the National Broadcasting Council (KRRT).
It should be noted that the National Broadcasting Council has already imposed a fine of 142,000 PLN on the broadcaster TVN for broadcasting the report “29 Years of Impunity. The Phenomenon of Father Tadeusz.” The same broadcaster was previously punished for the program “Via Franciszkańska 3,” broadcast in March 2023, which defamed Pope John Paul II: it was shown then that the broadcaster and those who prepared the service violated the broadcasting law.
Tusk’s attacks on media that have not aligned with his policy line put the remnants of media pluralism in Poland at serious risk and have a precise goal: to manipulate Polish public opinion ahead of the upcoming presidential elections that will decide the fate of the country. But the question arises: “Why are these ‘maneuvers’ against freedom of speech and media pluralism in Poland not noticed in Brussels?”
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The text in Italian was published in La Nuova Bussola Quotidiana.
