Polish Govt. Tries To Set Up Rival To Wyszynski

Press, Volume CVI, Issue 31096, 27 June 1966, Page 13

Polish Govt. Tries To Set Up Rival To Wyszynski

(N.Z. Press Association— Copyright) WARSAW, June 26. A Roman Catholic Archbishop angrily repudiated last night a Government attempt to split the church by advancing him as a leader whom the clergy should follow in preference to Stefan Wyszynski, the “New York Times” News service reported.

Archbishop Boleslaw Kominek, of Wroclaw, preaching at Holiest Saviour Church in Warsaw, pledged his fidelity to the Cardinal as “the living symbol of Christian unity” and “the best representative of the good name of Poland.”

Archbishop Kominek was one of the 18 archbishops and bishops, including the cardinal, .who preached in Warsaw last night Since early this week churches have held services through the night as Poland's capital celebrates the millenlum of the faith in this nation. The centre of the celebrations is the cathedral of St. John in the Old Town, where a special copy of the portrait of Poland’s Roman Catholic symbol, the Black Madonna of Czestochowa, is on display. Image Intercepted On its way to Warsaw from Bork in northern Poland last Monday, the image was intercepted by the authorities. They drove it to Warsaw directly, by-passing villages where receptions had been scheduled. The incident, one of many involving the progress Of the venerated picture through the country in the millenlum year, has engendered considerable bitterness.

Archbishop Kominek was replying to an editorial carried by most of the Polish press earlier this month that bitterly attacked Cardinal Wyszynski as an enemy of the state. It praised Archbishop Kominek as one who recognised the need for church and State to co-exist. “Any attempt to create artificial divisions between the primate and some of the bishops can only strengthen the unity of the church,” the rotund, mild-faced archbishop said. Not Printed

The prelate said he had written a reply to “Zycie Warszawy,” the mass-circula-tion daily that first carried the editorial, on June 13. It has not been printed, he said, although its tone was “rather moderate to permit its publication in the Polish press.” Visibly distressed at having been put forward as an

alternative to Cardinal Wyszynski, the archbishop said: "I beg you, do not abuse the good wilt of the Archbishop of Wroclaw.” The tone of the sermon was less mild than the unpublished letter. The archbishop warned the Government that no negotiations to improve the troubled relations between the regime and the powerful

church were possible unless the Government recognised the inviolability of the cardinal. He continued: “He who does not recognise this is trying to dose his eyes to the firm will of the Polish people. He who today rises his hand against

the Primate of Poland is trying to close his ears to the powerful and authoritative voice of Paul VI, whose authority is recognised in the East as well as the West.

“Stop besmirching the good name of that great man of the church and man of the people, because you are insulting the whole Christian nation.” Family Love

The man whom Archbishop Kominek was defending was preaching at the same time in the small parish church of the outlying village of Mikolajew. He listened to children

recite poems and devoted his sermon to family love.

The choice of the church and theme of the sermon was an apparent attempt to keep tempers from rising too high before tomorrow's climax of the capital's millenlum ceremonies. The cardinal is expected to preach morning and evening at the cathedral, as the celebration Closes and the picture of the Black Madonna is returned to Czestochowa. Tense Confrontation Earlier last night, a tense confrontation between Polish police and at least 1000 followers of Cardinal Wyszynski teetered on the brink of violence, the Associated Press reported. Shouting demonstrators, most of them young, defiantly shook their fists and refused to let 20 motorcycle policemen clear the streets in front of the cardinal’s palace. During the 10-minute confrontation the crowd chanted “Pri-mas, pri-mas (primate)” and pressed toward the motor-cyclists, who revved their motors.

Trying to avoid inciting the crowd, the police attempted briefly to hold their ground, then turned around and roared off to the next block. They conferred with a traffic squad captain, then left the area amid derisive whistles from onlookers.