After Critical Pope John Paul II Documentary, Poland Calls In US Ambassador

Maciej Martewicz and Piotr Skolimowski
·3 min read
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(Bloomberg) -- Poland’s Foreign Ministry called in the US ambassador days after a broadcaster owned by Warner Bros Discovery Inc. aired a documentary critical of the late Pope John Paul II, triggering outrage in the nation’s ruling party.

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Without referencing the documentary or broadcaster, the ministry attributed its decision to invite the top US envoy, Ambassador Mark Brzezinski, to the activities of an unidentified television station “in the Polish market,” according to a statement on its website Thursday.

“The potential effects of these actions are identical to the goals of hybrid war aimed at leading to divisions and tensions in Polish society,” the statement said. TVN, which broadcast the documentary on the Polish-born pontiff on Monday, is the only broadcaster in Poland controlled by a US-based investor.

The documentary, drawing much of its investigation from communist-era secret police files, alleged that John Paul II was aware of cases of child abuse within the Polish clergy during his tenure as archbishop of Krakow, from 1964 to 1978 — and was instrumental in covering them up.

Earlier Thursday, a spokesman for Poland’s ruling Law & Justice party, which has deep ties to the church, issued a rebuke of TVN for airing the program.

The storm of complaints went close to the top, with Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki saying any evidence that the pope ignored any wrongdoing within the church is highly questionable because it comes from the secret police under communism.

“There are those who are trying to stir up not a military conflict, but a culture war here in Poland,” Morawiecki said in a video posted on his Twitter account. “I stand in defense of our beloved Pope, like most of my fellow citizens, because I know that as a nation we owe a lot to John Paul.”

Lawmakers in Warsaw on Thursday adopted a resolution defending the late pope, who was canonized by the church and remains an iconic figure in Poland 18 years after his death. John Paul’s handling of abuse cases has repeatedly come under scrutiny as the Catholic Church is beleaguered by accusations across the globe, including in Poland.

TVN’s influential news channel has been been notable in its criticism of Law & Justice, chronicling cases of corruption within the ruling party since it came to power in 2015. Under its leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the party has tightened its grip over domestic media, with critics saying that it’s turned state television into a propaganda mouthpiece.

In late 2021, President Andrzej Duda vetoed a bill that would have forced the US owner — then Discovery Inc. — to sell most of TVN. The move defused a row that strained relations with the US, otherwise a staunch ally of Poland.

Thousands of Poles took to the streets in protest over what they saw as the ruling nationalists attempt to muzzle an independent broadcaster.

The ministry sought to make a national security argument over the case on Thursday, saying the station’s activities “weaken the country’s ability to deter a potential adversary.”

TVN spokeswoman Katarzyna Issat and the US embassy in Warsaw had no immediate comment.

--With assistance from Konrad Krasuski and Piotr Bujnicki.

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