Priest gagged by Church after 'Satanist' rock star row

Boniecki; photo - PR

Father Adam Boniecki, who was a confidante of the late Pope John Paul II, has been disciplined by the religious order of which he is a member, the Congregation of Marian Fathers.

According to a statement released on Thursday by the Marian Fathers, Boniecki must “limit his media appearances to Tygodnik Powszechny for the time being.”

Although no reason was given for the disciplinary measures, the 77-year-old priest has been widely criticised by fellow clergymen over the last two months.

In late September, Bishop Wieslaw Mering of Wlocawek, northern Poland, accused Boniecki of “spreading confusion among the faithful,” and representing “a wolf among sheep, rather than a shepherd.”

The criticisms came after Boniecki attempted to play down a scandal about the hiring of an allegedly “satanic” rock star, Adam Darski, on a talent-finding show broadcast on Polish public television (TVP).

Darski was cleared by a court in Krakow this summer of insulting religious sentiment after he ripped up a copy of the Bible on stage in Krakow.

Earlier this week, Boniecki appeared to defend Janusz Palikot, leader of the liberal, anti-clerical Palikot's Movement, a party that won a surprise 10 percent of the vote in the 9 October general election.

Boniecki told the TVN 24 news station that Palikot, who is seeking to have a cross removed from Poland's lower house of parliament (Sejm), has been “demonized” by some sections of the Church.

“I don't know if [Palikot's] presence in politics is really so evil,” Boniecki said. (nh/pg)

Source: PAP