Archbishop Henryk Hoser (centre) greets Jasienica parishioner Marcin Dembinski (right) at the Curia of the Warsaw-Praga diocese. Photo: PAP/Radek Pietruszka
Archbishop Henryk Hoser led talks at the Curia of the Warsaw-Praga diocese on Monday with both supporters and opponents of dismissed priest Father Wojciech Lemanski.
The former rector was banned from saying mass at the church in Jasienica in the lead-up to Easter. He had previously been allowed to say one mass a week on Sunday morning, after being removed from his position as rector in July 2013.
However, he appeared on Palm Sunday and replacement priest Father Grzegorz Chojnicki called the police after some parishioners demonstrated in favour of Father Lemanski,
The church was officially closed by Archbishop Hoser the following Tuesday.
Marcin Dembinski (pictured), a supporter of Father Lemanski, has denied that parishioners were aggressive to Father Chojnicki but told Archbishop Hoser on Monday that the latter is exacerbating the situation.
“We called for the removal of current administrator Father Grzegorz Chojnicki – he has lost our trust,” Dembinski said.
“But nothing came of it.”
Father Lemanski had called on the Church hierarchy to soften its rhetoric against IVF treatment. According to Archbishop Hoser, Lemanski's July 2013 dismissal was for “a lack of respect and obedience to the bishops, as well as to the teaching of diocesan bishops in Poland on bioethics issues.”
Lemanski has long been a promoter of dialogue between Poles and Jews, and last year he claimed that his engagement in Jewish issues was at the root of the problem, but the Curia has denied this.
In a letter given to Archbishop Hoser last month, parishioners claimed that “during the six years he served as rector in Jasienica, Father Wojciech Lemanski built a community that should be a model for all Poland.”
The archbishop concluded on Monday that the church will remain closed until there is harmony among parishioners. Father Lemanski's future as a priest is being considered by the Vatican, and the church is unlikely to reopen before this has been settled, according to the Curia. (nh)
Source: IAR