In the latest issue of the weekly ‘Sieci’, an exceptional story about the sources of strength of Rev. Michał Olszewski, who is being destroyed by the machinery of political revenge and has been held in custody for many months. On Friday, the Warsaw-Mokotów District Court did not uphold the defence lawyers’ complaint against the priest’s detention.

‘ What is the source of Fr Michael’s strength?’

Public opinion is in no doubt that the imprisonment of Fr Olszewski is a political game played by the 13 December coalition against former Justice Minister Zbigniew Ziobro. Goran Andrijanić, in his article ‘Where does this strength of Fr Michal come from?’, points out that, on the one hand, it is clear that the allegations against a priest who focused on helping the needy are absurd. On the other hand, the machinery targeting the clergyman’s image is at work - just think of the left-liberal media, which regularly pull out the ‘exorcism salceson’ to highlight the priest’s ‘backwardness’.

Andrijanić takes a closer look at the figure of Father Michael, his sensitivity and spirituality, because this is what is missing in the whole affair. Above all, it must be remembered that the idea to build a centre in Wilanów to help victims of violence stemmed from the need to help disadvantaged people.

As far as this project is concerned, one very important thing must be understood here — an acquaintance of the Priest of the Sacred Heart tells us.

Michał is friends with a person who has suffered greatly through domestic and church violence. He learnt about her life and spirituality, which gave rise to a strong urge in him to help those affected by violence. Michał is a person who is sensitive to human suffering. It’s not as if he thought he would build a huge building somewhere in Wilanów and that would give him professional satisfaction. He had met a very specific person with very specific dramas and realised that there are many more similar cases that need intervention

— he added.

Tłum. K.J.