Warsaw, Poland – Warsaw’s new archbishop abruptly resigned Sunday over revelations that he cooperated with Poland’s communist-era secret police, stunning worshipers by sadly yielding the archbishop’s throne just minutes before he was to be formally installed.
To cries of “No, no!” and “Stay with us!” in and outside St. John’s Cathedral, a despondent Stanislaw Wielgus read a letter to Pope Benedict XVI in which he resigned “after reflecting deeply and assessing my personal situation.”
The Vatican said Wielgus’ past actions had “gravely compromised his authority” as one of the top church officials in Poland, adding that the 67-year- old priest was right to go.
But his withdrawal sparked an uproar among those gathered in the red-brick cathedral and crowded outside under umbrellas, most of whom had not heard the announcement of the resignation earlier. “They stoned the bishop!” an elderly woman outside shouted.
In a sign of how the painful revelations have divided believers, Wielgus’ words also drew applause from the congregation – including President Lech Kaczynski, whose conservative party has sought to strengthen traditional Catholic values.
Late Pope John Paul II’s staunch opposition to communism is credited with inspiring the rise in the 1980s of the Solidarity movement, which helped end communist rule in 1989.
But the country has grappled since his death with a string of revelations about respected Catholic figures cooperating with the secret services. None has rattled Poles like the case of Wielgus, the highest-ranking church official found to have ties with the secret police.
The disclosure is particularly troubling to many because it shakes a widely held belief that the church acted as a courageous foe of communism.
