A BATTLE OF POLAND

Fr. IRENEUSZ SKUBIŚ

There was time when help for Homeland was connected with a necessity of armed fights, often with the devotion of one’s blood. Today one can only stand at ballot boxes and vote for suitable people. So, it would be good if people attended elections, so that those who only criticize, stood at ballot boxes, voted for suitable people and in this way they would save the future of Poland.

In Poland very few people participate in elections. If a bit more than 40 per cent of people come to ballot boxes, it is easy to be anxious. In addition, there is a worrying fact that such a situation takes place in the country in which so many Catholic people live. It is undoubtedly connected with not a good opinion about democracy. People say: why shall we vote, if nothing is going to change anyway? Poland is sold out and robbed and we will not find a solution to it.

A crisis of hope

Among folk songs, especially one of them is popular, which somehow prophesies: ‘It was bad and it is always going to be bad in Poland and everywhere’. It is an expression of criticism toward the reality and belief that regardless of next elections there will be other deceptions, lies, and others will gain money again. – if we do not get it – as they think – it is better to stay at home.

This is the dramatic crisis of responsibility for homeland. For, in fact, those ‘responsible’ citizens do not go to vote. So, we are asking the question: what to do with it? Is the domineering pessimism able to contribute to the development of the country? We must definitely oppose to defeatism. After all, in the country we have many excellent and noble people who, thanks to their engagement, they protect us from the collapse of our homeland.

Luckily, it is more often that the activity is awakening in some communities which say: no! People look around and say that it cannot be so long. Something must be done about it, because, for example, it is difficult to ignore the fact that the country is in debts on the unusually global scale. We have paid off debts of Edward Gierek recently with great effort, and what will be now if the debts are much higher? How will we cope with it? Surely, there will be time that next generations will have to bear consequences for the current debts of our country. These will be our children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren who will be robbed of money, gained by paltry wages today.

Unfortunately, it is going to be worse to work and live because the Polish economy practically does not exist. Young people do not have any perspectives, they are going abroad in big numbers and escape from heritage. And here – there is another paradox – first we form a Polish doctor, engineer, computer scientist and later there is no work for him, so he is going abroad to work there. He earns his life but another country is getting rich. In this way a significant per cent of university graduates, for which the Polish country used to pay, is not beneficial for his country – this is a deception and great harm.

Looking for a solution

Well, the whole nation must vote, go to vote. This is a moral obligation in the conscience. The citizen who says that he is a believer, that he loves homeland, but is not going to vote, must know that he sins. It concerns a sin because through neglect, the authority is taken over by improper people who should never inherit it. When righteous, honest people are in the parliament then there will be the beginning of new times for the nation. The nation will become alive again, will choose such a government and such decision-makers who will work for the welfare of homeland and its new citizens. They will make law beneficial for Poland, they will oppose to aspirations of the world capitalism, which wants to devour what is ours.

We all are responsible for homeland, for the fates of the young generation. We know who and how governs, how many failures there are, how many steaks of lies there are and how poorly media work: there is a low quality of both TV and radio programs. We must look for good information. So, a lot is done for the so-called Public Relation, engaging efforts in the propaganda glorifying one’s own political party for the next elections. However, there is a question, what this party is doing, what it has achieved, what work of the current government looks like. We must ask governing politicians where workplaces are, why young people are going away from the country, why cities are getting depopulated. There are many such critical questions. It is seen that Poles do not cope with either economy or management. For example, Hungary copes definitely much better. It can take more care about family life. Whereas in Poland there are not good perspectives: high unemployment, low wages, poor people, schools and kindergartens are being liquidated, not saying about workplaces. Everything is leading to nowhere.

So, the situation requires a new look, somehow, ‘standing on guard’. Today, in our country the coalition of two parties is governing, and there is also the activity of the president. These forces in Poland are domineering. They are realizing odd interests. It was said, among the others, by the chairman Jarosław Kaczyński in an interview given to us (‘Niedziela’ no 26 of 30 June 2013).It is a pity that he does not know our weekly. I would like to ask clever and honest people, also priests, to look into the ‘Niedziela’ and try to read it. It is all about forming a suitable opinion about the reality.

Looking for light

So more solidarity is needed, as well as wisdom, while idleness and vain talking should be rejected. Polish clergy must think in a patriotic way so that young priests would appreciate greater efforts of their predecessors and respect the heritage of John Paul II and cardinal Stefan Wyszyński. We were lucky to have excellent primates, cardinals, bishops. Their heritage and faithfulness remained. The Church mustn’t forget about its great contribution in the life of the nation.

We should not follow people who want to confuse our minds today. We should rather listen to the voice of our pastors, the voice of the representative of the Polish Episcopal Conference archbishop Józef Michalik, who publishes excellent texts in ‘Niedziela’ – but who reads them and who considers them? We have only a party which is represented by Jarosław Kaczyński, the Law and Justice party. It includes many excellent people, who still have a good program, have possibilities to help Poland gain real independence. We have no choice but support suitable people.

Today when we are thinking more on the future of homeland, we must state that it is depended on the solidarity of the nation. The nation must think in a Polish way, it must resist the capitalistic doctrine, which led the sale of the national property, destruction of economy, to poverty and disasters which, unfortunately touch children, youth and families. There is not any beneficial policy for a family, and a family is the most important, because the man lives in a family and everything should be for a family.

In addition, there is a contemporary and very dangerous atheism, which appeared in Palikot’s movement. It also appears in other suggestions, like the ones concerning partnership couples and the gender ideology. All this is aiming at destruction of a family, Christian civilization. We must oppose to it, reject it and save Poland and our values.

So, when there appears a perspective of elections, even the complementary ones, when we are looking for suitable candidates for suitable posts, the nation must get mobilized and vote in a proper way. Whereas a winner will be this candidate who gains votes of Catholics in Podkarpacie in a solidary way. This is what solidarity should be, which should appear in the Polish firmament. And when we get ready for elections, it must be said that those, being suggested by a political party referring to Christian values, are the most suitable candidates, who should be elected by Poles, believers, the Catholics. Then we will not be surprised in the parliament with votes on ‘the command’, because the vote of conscience will appear, and Poland – as blessed John Paul II said in Skoczów – needs people of conscience the most.

(AA)

"Niedziela" 35/2013

Editor: Tygodnik Katolicki "Niedziela", ul. 3 Maja 12, 42-200 Czestochowa, Polska
Editor-in-chief: Fr Jaroslaw Grabowski • E-mail: redakcja@niedziela.pl