Jerzy Popieluszko: "He did not fight with violence, but on his knees, with a rosary..."

The Polish martyr priest Jerzy Popieluszko was buried on November 3, 1984, with the participation of a quarter of a million people. Lech Walesa, the president of Solidarity, was also present at his funeral. On All Saints' Eve, a documentary film about his life and fate was shown on the M5.

Historian Imre Molnár wrote the story of his life under the title "The truth sets you free", in which dr. Balázs Bábel, the archbishop of Kalocsa-Kecskemét, launched the martyr, who was beatified in the same year, with the following thoughts.

"His beatification does him justice. Job's words also apply to him: "I know that my God lives, and he gives me justice." He gives justice to Father Jerzy Popieluszko, who according to the teaching and example of Jesus, as the Good Shepherd, gave his life for his sheep... The beatification puts an even more authenticating stamp on the life of a martyr, for which we Hungarians, together with our Polish brothers, give thanks to the Heavenly Father."

The young priest, who worked effectively with the youth, became the pastor of the workers and became an enthusiastic supporter of the Solidarity trade union. We learn from the most important details of his life:

Jerzy Popiełuszko was born in 1947 in the north-eastern part of Poland, in a small village in the Białystok County, Okopy, in a peasant family. He was ordained a priest by Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński on May 28, 1972. He initially continued his priestly service in parishes in Warsaw, then became a hospital chaplain and participated in the establishment of workers' communities.

From 1980 until his martyrdom in 1984, he was chaplain of the independent trade union Solidarność (Solidarity); In August 1980, he celebrated the first Holy Mass for the striking workers in the yard of their factory in Warsaw. Solidarity had a huge mass base, in 1981 it already had ten million members.

General and Prime Minister Wojciech Jaruzelski declared martial law on December 13, 1981, and from then on, the young priest did charity work, serving those persecuted by the communist power. Martial law was accompanied by the suspension of freedoms. Strikes and gatherings were banned, the operation of social organizations and press activities were suspended. More than five thousand members of Solidarity were arrested and interned.

After the introduction of martial law, on January 17, 1982, Father Popiełuszko began to say the Mass for the country in the Church of St. Saniszló in Warsaw. It soon spread throughout the country that he offered these masses for imprisoned workers, victims of the system, and suffering compatriots.

The recurrent thought of his homilies was a quote taken from Saint Paul's letter to the Romans: "Do not let evil overcome you, but overcome evil with good" (Romans 12:21).

Thousands of believers gathered at his mass to hear his bold, patriotic sermons, in which he courageously defended freedom of religion and opinion, criticized the communist system, martial law, and the repressive measures introduced by the Polish authorities. The communist rule tried by all means to silence the young priest, who was supported by more and more believers throughout the country.

1984. on the night of October 19, unknown people stopped the car in which the father was traveling from Bydgoszcz to Warsaw, pretending to have a technical fault and asking for help. His driver was handcuffed and dragged away, while he was beaten, handcuffed and locked in the trunk of the car. When the top of the trunk was opened, the father freed himself from the bindings and the rags stuffed in his mouth and began to run. However, his executioners caught up with him, knocked him down with a wooden club and beat him to a bloody pulp. He was taken to the dam near Włocławek on the banks of the Vistula and thrown into the water from one of the bridges. His body was found by divers 11 days later, on October 30, about 72 kilometers from the place of his abduction.

The people of the regime removed the inscription from his grave, which proclaimed the truth: "1984. On October 19, the Ministry of the Interior and the Polish United Workers' Party were murdered."

Upon the news that the authorities wanted to desecrate his grave and body, thousands of his followers gathered and vowed to guard his grave until he was beatified. St. II. On June 14, 1987, during his third apostolic visit to Poland, John Paul knelt and prayed at the grave of the young martyr priest. After hugging and kissing the tombstone, he turned to the parents kneeling behind him. He addressed these words to his mother: "You have gifted us with a great man." And he answered the Holy Father like this: "Not I, but God gave it to the world through me."

Father Jerzy Popiełuszko's beatification process began on February 8, 1997. On June 6, 2010, he was included in the ranks of the blessed XVI. On behalf of Pope Benedict, Archbishop Angelo Amato, then prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. The veneration of Blessed Jerzy Popiełuszko is also widespread in Hungary.

Father Jerzy, who was gentleness himself, raised his voice against violence in the last part of his homily: "We cannot fight with violence in order to overcome evil with good. During the martial law, the Holy Father prayed to the Virgin Mary in Częstochowa: a people that is deprived of the rights that ensure its identity cannot develop properly, and the state cannot rely on any kind of violence. He who could not win with heart and reason tries to win by force. Any manifestation of violence is evidence of moral inferiority. The most beautiful and enduring struggles known to mankind are the struggles of human thought. The most miserable and the shortest - the struggles of violence. An idea that needs a weapon to survive will die by itself.

Blessed Jerzy Popiełuszko concluded his homily a few hours before his martyrdom with these words: "Let us pray that we may be free from fear, terror, but above all from the desire for revenge and violence!"

1982. On October 31, Father Popieluszko said, among other things, in his sermon: "However, in order to remain free in spirit, we must live in truth. The main reason we are slaves is that we submit to the rule of lies, instead of exposing it and protesting against it every day... The key to the liberation of man and nature is the overcoming of fear... Christ often reminded his disciples of this: Do not be afraid. Do not be afraid of those who kill the body, but cannot kill the soul... (LK 12,4) Since Christ's death on the cross, no suffering or humiliation can humble us - the shame falls back on those who caused the suffering."

Father Jerzy Popiełuszko's beatification process began on February 8, 1997. On June 6, 2010, he was included in the ranks of the blessed XVI. On behalf of Pope Benedict, Archbishop Angelo Amato, then prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints. Our past, our history is connected in the fate of János Esterházy and Jerzy Popieluszko.

And finally, the following quotes were said at the priest's last mass: "Solidarity amazed the world so quickly because it did not fight with violence, but on its knees, with a rosary in its hand."

"An idea that can survive only by force is distorted."

Source: Felvidek.ma

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