People who are dissatisfied with the work and conduct of the new parish priest, Father Zbigniew Pędziwiatr, contacted our editorial office. The Curia says this is a recent matter that must be carefully examined, as there is also a long list of people supporting the priest.
Christ the King Parish was administered for more than 30 years by Father Józef Gołębiowski, who retired in mid-2016 after heart surgery. He was the one who built the church with the parishioners on Jana Pawła II Street (in 1983, on Władysława Broniewskiego Street). As parishioners recall, the parish priest rolled up his cassock sleeves and worked alongside them. People built their own church, which was especially significant after martial law.
When the new parish priest took over, not everyone liked the way Father Zbigniew Pędziwiatr began managing the parish. Written complaints were sent to the priest’s superiors. Dissatisfied parishioners demanded that the parish priest be removed and also requested a financial accounting from the priest.
The main allegations concern, among other things, expenses of PLN 137,000 on renovating the presbytery and purchases of tableware costing nearly PLN 4,000. Parishioners dislike the church being closed during the day (the parish priest made this decision to prevent vandalism). Parishioners criticize the way the priest announces at every Sunday Mass the names of those who financially supported the parish, along with the exact amounts of their donations. They also accuse the priest of a lack of empathy and an official, bureaucratic approach to parishioners’ concerns. The procedures for appointing the parish council have also raised controversy. The list of allegations is long and also includes a personal matter concerning the parish priest.
It turns out that complaining about a priest is neither simple nor socially easy, because the parish priest’s supporters openly say that they will stand firmly behind him. Because he is a priest.
“Whether it was Father Józef Gołębiowski, or another priest, we would defend them too—not as a person, but as a priest,” says one parishioner. “We stand firmly behind the parish priest. My mother, who was raised by nuns, used to say, ‘You must never say anything against a priest; a priest cannot do anything wrong. If people say something about a priest or a nun, you must not repeat it, but pray for them,’” the parishioner adds.
Those making allegations against the parish priest understand that the matter is delicate.
“It is not the parishioners’ role to publicize a matter that is, to a large extent, very delicate,” says one person complaining about the priest. “But the decision to make the problem public was influenced by the Curia’s approach: it had been informed many weeks earlier but only dealt with the matter after receiving an instruction from the Nunciature and after the parish priest made public part of the truth—that there are parishioners who had written complaints against him and want him dismissed,” the parishioner adds.
We contacted the Curia’s spokesman, who said that he knew about the matter but that it was recent and complicated.
“The problem has two sides; a second letter has also been received from people who support the parish priest,” said Father Waldemar Wesołowski. “Some are for him, others are against him. These things happen. The question is whether this is grounds for dismissing the parish priest. It is difficult for me to say what the bishop will do. It is necessary to determine how much merit there is on one side and how much on the other,” the spokesman emphasized.
The parish priest of Christ the King Parish believes that everyone has the right to express an opinion, but they must sign it and take responsibility for it.
“If I do not know the name, it is difficult for me to respond to the problem and the complaints,” says Father Zbigniew Pędziwiatr. “I do not intend to be a judge in my own case or comment on negative or positive opinions about me. Everyone is a free person and has the right to their own opinion. If the matter reaches the court, it will be resolved at that level. I do not deal with slander or opinions. Everyone may have their own opinion, but they should take responsibility for it and sign it,” the parish priest adds.