Senior churchman admonishes Polish politicians

“Such dialogue must not be conducted in the street, as such a form of ‘communication’ only deepens the divisions and lowers the standards of political life”, he stressed.

Cardinal Dziwisz, who is the archbishop of Kraków, spoke during a traditional Christmas meeting hosted on Sunday by the city’s mayor in the Main Market Square.

He said that the art of governance in “holiness and righteousness” is a service that requires humility, sacrifice and disinterestedness, whereas the rendering of judgement in “integrity of heart” requires impartiality, honesty and readiness to listen intently to the opinions of all people, including those of different views.

Cardinal Dziwisz, who was a long-time secretary to Pope John Paul II, said that deepening divisions within Polish society are a cause of concern.

“The reason I present my views are the many requests addressed to the Church to make its voice heard on the issue,” he said, adding that changes of government are a natural and healthy thing as nobody has a monopoly on the best form of governance.

“If someone genuinely wants to serve rather than rule, he should not experience the bitterness of lost elections too deeply and should not disturb those who implement new goals - naturally, if they are justified and serve the whole society,” the cardinal said, stressing that those who took power in democratic elections and are able to govern on their own, “should exercise their power with all the greater sense of responsibility, taking into account the sensibility of a pluralist society.”

“We have been living in a free Poland for a quarter of a century. Are you ready to get rid of prejudices and refrain from deepening party divisions which antagonise society?” Cardinal Dziwisz asked politicians, adding that his call comes shortly before Christmas. (mk/rg/pk)