Poland: Activists topple statue of disgraced priest

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Hours before the Protection of Minors meeting began in Rome yesterday, three activists in Gdansk pulled down the statue of a Polish priest, the late Fr Henryk Jankowski, who is alleged to have abused a number of children. Afterwards they turned themselves into the police, saying that they had toppled the statue in protest at the failure of the Catholic Church to "react to the evil" he had committed. In a manifesto posted online, the activists said their actions were not directed against Polish Catholics but "driven by concern for the common good and respect for human dignity and freedom."

Mgr Jankowski became a prominent figure in the 1980s as chaplain to the Solidarity trade union. His parish church, St Bridget's, became a meeting place for union activists in their battle with the communist government.

Through his close ties to Solidarity leader Lech Walesa, he hosted world leaders in his church, including President George HW Bush and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.

In later years, Mr Walesa and other Solidarity figures distanced themselves from Mgr Jankowski over his growing nationalism, objection to the EU and anti-Semitic views. He was removed from his position as parish priest in 2004, and faced growing allegations before his death that he had abused boys and girls.

In December, red paint was poured over the Jankowski statue after fresh media reports against the priest. A woman claimed the priest abused her and other children in the 1970s. A second woman said he touched her inappropriately when she was six.

The late Mayor of Gdansk, devout Catholic Pawel Adamowicz, who was killed last month during a charity concert, said having the statue in a public space was inappropriate. Plans to remove the statue were overshadowed by his death.

The committee that financed the statue demanded it be reinstated on Thursday, insisting that all charges against the priest were dropped during his lifetime. "What happened was based on slander, with no confirmation in reality, against someone dead for nine years," said a spokesman, Krzysztof Dosla.

Gdansk city hall said it would not return the monument to its public place and will instead put it into storage.

A Polish rights group has delivered a report to Pope Francis that accuses some Polish bishops of failing to report pedophilia cases.

In a statement on Thursday morning, ahead of the Vatican conference, the Polish Bishops' Conference made no reference to the statue but promised "zero tolerance" on paedophilia in its ranks.