There had long been widespread discussion of the former parish priest from Bolesławiec. He was known as a clergyman unfriendly toward people,

In 2021… (the court temporarily prohibited reporting on this matter and other issues). This did not concern the bishop at all. It was only in November 2023 that a change took place. The priest announced that he had “burned out” and moved to a parish near Bolesławiec.

In December 2023, a report was created based on materials made publicly available on social media. We believe that the priest and the celebrity sued the editor of istotne.pl in separate lawsuits before the court in Jelenia Góra precisely in order to block the film and remove it from the internet. They later brought two more criminal proceedings, this time in Bolesławiec. Because the two lawsuits were almost identical, the court in Bolesławiec joined the cases. Now the priest and the celebrity will sit side by side on the prosecution bench.

SLAPP—gagging the press

In our opinion, all the lawsuits, filed under the pretext of protecting reputations, are nothing other than an attempt to intimidate and silence inconvenient voices. The aim is a chilling effect—that is, fear of the powerful Catholic Church. Potential whistleblowers begin to hesitate before taking up difficult subjects. After all, why expose yourself to a lawsuit that could determine your future?

In short: the goal is for society to live in ignorance.

Until now, all those who went to the curia in Legnica to stand up for their parishes, and came away convinced that they meant nothing, that no one listened to them and that they were unimportant to the bishop, could turn to us, the journalists.

That was the case with Father Pędziwiatr from Bolesławiec, Father Janusz Wilk from Gościszów and Father Łuczkowski from Lubomierz. It also concerned parishioners from the priest’s new parish who did not agree to the clergyman’s transfer to their town. However, when they took the matter to Bishop Siemieniewski, he showed them that they had nothing to say about it.

If we, the journalists of istotne.pl, give in, episcopal arrogance will prevail. The humiliation of those without whom the Catholic Church would not exist will continue in silence.

What is the priest suing the journalists over?

The priest is suing the journalists because they published materials that, in his view, defame him and expose him to a loss of public trust. The case concerns several articles and a film that was available on YouTube. By court decision, the film may not currently be shown, but we are working to make it publicly available again.

Please support our fight

We face a years-long legal battle. We have two proceedings in Jelenia Góra and two in Bolesławiec. You can help us in the legal fight with the priest and support us in writing articles about the bishop of Legnica and the problems faced by many parishioners throughout the diocese.

Please support us with any amount. Here is the address where you can make a payment: zrzutka.pl/hb6dc7