The portrayal of the Madonna from Częstochowa, which is a painting of the Virgin Mary, in rainbow colors at an exhibition in Brussels is a form of defacing national symbols and should be condemned, Father Bortkiwewicz, also a professor, told Poland’s Do Rzeczy news outlet.
Commenting on the controversial move, Bortkiwewicz asked how people would react if someone incorporated the swastika into the star of David. In the same way, incorporating the rainbow into Christian symbols is a profanity and blasphemy, as it attempts to mock Christianity in favor of an atheistic ideology.
The academic argued that current laws do not offer adequate protection to Christianity; those who protest against profanities are often accused of homophobia or transphobia while the blasphemers receive legal protection for their actions. He therefore believes in mobilizing awareness and public opinion, something which is made doubly difficult by the fact that some in the Church are now arguing for giving in.
According to Father Bortkiewicz, there are voices from the U.S. and Germany calling for the allowance of same-sex marriage, with German bishops and American Bishop James Martin calling for acceptance of LGBT ideology. This makes for a divided church, so the first need is to rebuild the unity of faith within the Catholic Church, he recommended.
The cleric opposes any actions that are violent or damage property, and instead calls for vocal resistance and for each profanity to be reported to the authorities and challenged. There are organizations such as Ordo Iuris in Poland and CitizenGo that offer assistance by organizing petitions against profanities.
“Opposition has significance, and we have come to realize that many times a few clicks on the net has helped to stop an invasion of LGBT ideology even in the European Parliament, but of course we should also pray for these people to mend their ways. Politicians, however, should seek legal protection for our faith,” the priest added.
