A two-day conference titled “Limiting and transgressing religious freedom from a domestic and international perspective” took place over the weekend in Warsaw. One of the panelists at a session on religious freedom in public debate was the editor of Do Rzeczy, Paweł Lisicki.
Lisicki argued that the hierarchy of the Catholic Church was doing remarkably little to tackle the trend towards secularization and dechristianization of Polish society. As examples, he gave a Jesuit expert James Martin being cited in a court case as stating that picturing the Holy Virgin Mary in a rainbow-colored background was a legitimate form of expression, as well as Archbishop Vincenzo Paglia in the Vatican condoning the new abortion law in Italy, which makes abortion on demand widely available.
It is absurd, argued Lisicki, that the Church, as the guardian of certain values, seems to be surrendering its role. He traced the present trend to the beginning of the pontificate of Pope Francis. The Do Rzeczy editor acknowledged that the situation may not be as dramatic but did not feel that the resistance was sufficient.
There were too many clerics willing to capitulate and accommodate while those who disagree with this stance too often remain silent, he added.
