Poland: Woe to the Caesars

The uneasy accommodation between Poland’s Communist leaders and the Roman Catholic hierarchy was coming to a close. Four years ago the Primate of the Polish Church, Stefan Cardinal Wyszynski, in exchange for concessions to the church, urged Catholics (98% of all Poles ) to back Polish Communist Boss Wladyslaw Gomulka. Since then. Gomulka has steadily whittled away at Catholic prerogatives. Last week in two angry sermons, Cardinal Wyszynski served notice on Gomulka that he plainly recognized a “fight against the church.”

The Polish people, he reminded Gomulka. knew what it meant to wear chains—and knew what it meant to throw them off. “Woe to all who wish to take freedom away from us.” he said. “Man in defense will go into the catacombs, enter a conspiratorial defense against the outside world.” Then, ticking off some 20 Communist groups aimed at separating Poland’s youth from their faith, he cried: “I tell you. you Caesars, you will bow to your God, and you will serve only Him.” With new national elections coming next month. Gomulka was obviously anxious to avoid too open a rift with the church. As a gesture of conciliation, Poland’s alarmed party bosses disbanded a Communist-sponsored club of 300 priests friendly to the regime.