Polish People Walk in the Streets of Warsaw in Defense of Pope John-Paul II amid Child Abuse Accusations

Catholic organizations of Poland organized a march in the country’s capital to defend the reputation of former Pope, John-Paul II after Dutch journalist Ekke Overbeek found out that not only the Pope knew about child abuse occurring in his Archdiocese of Krakow, but he also helped to cover up his fellow priests, unbelievable news to bare for many Polish Catholics.

According to AFP, thousands of Polish citizens took to the streets of Warsaw this Sunday to demonstrate their unwavering support for the one who died almost twenty years ago, Pope John-Paul II. Despite recent allegations, brought by investigative journalist Ekke Overbeek, many constituents of the Catholic church are struggling to reconcile their soft image of the religious leader with the imputations brought against him.

The Accusation

“Maxima Culpa,” is the title of the new book of Overbeek that sparked significant uproar in Poland, the Pope’s country of origin. The Latin phrase means “great fault” and is mainly used in religious contexts to denounce a sin or a crime.

Overbeek declared to AFP that not only the pope knew about pedophilia in the Archdiocese of Krakow, but he helped to cover it up; it comes as no surprise that many citizens of Poland deny this type of accusation, “we are used to this empathetic, warm, sympathetic person when people think of the pope”, said Overbeek. Based on the journalist’s outlook, there seems to be a cult of personality around the former bishop of Rome, especially since he was canonized as a saint in 2014.

The Reaction of Poland

A demonstrator held a placard saying: “As every honest man defends his children, father, and mother, all of Poland defends John Paul II.” After the accusation, both the governing Law and Justice party (PiS) and Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki defended the Pope and blamed journalists for “going beyond civilized debate.” The nationalist and the populist party that holds the reins of government went beyond and expressed a need to adopt a resolution to defend Paul II.

Silent Voices

Although the support for the former Pope is strong, several acts of vandalism were spotted in the country, including one in the central city of Lotz where a statute of the pope was covered in red paint and tagged with the phrase “Maxima culpa.”