Youtube movie rocked Poland's policy

The shock waves of a Polish documentation film about child abuse in the Catholic Church may also bring the policy to falter. The main attention is paid to the far-right nationalist party in government law and justice (PiS), their proximity to the Church could be well expensive.

In the polls for the forthcoming European elections, the PiS party leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski has so far been head-to-head with the pro-European coalition of several opposition parties – but that could change now.

The Polish political scientist Stanislaw Mocek said the AFP, the scandal "threatens to tilt the balance in favour of the Opposition." In Poland there is an Alliance between "throne and Altar", a "symbiosis, like two sides". The researcher believes that a change of one or two percentage points in the election on 26. May could prove decisive.

This documentary rocked Poland: "tell no one" by Tomasz Sekielski. Video: Youtube/Skielski

The on Saturday of last week when YouTube released the documentation had been in Poland for great indignation. The two-hour movie of the journalists Tomasz Sekielski with the title "don't tell anyone" has now been viewed almost 19 million Times.

The documentation that was partially shot with a hidden camera, shows the encounters of Victims of paedophile priests with their former tormentors. Some now very old priest to confess the abuse, ask for forgiveness and sometimes offer financial compensation.

back a number of bishops?

bishops are for their inadequate responses to cases of abuse in the criticism. Demands for an independent Commission of inquiry were loud. The Catholic theologian Stanislaw Obirek from Warsaw said that both the PiS as well as the bishops "in the panic to be mode". He assumes that on the occasion of the visit from Vatican experts for child abuse by priests, Charles Scicluna, on the next Monday, a number of Polish bishops could occur. The Church standing on the edge of the "fundamental changes".

The law, national government seems to want to anyway, no time for damage control to lose: you introduced a bill into Parliament, which provides for a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison for child abuse, in particularly serious cases, the limitation period should be abolished. In addition, the age of 15 years should be raised to 16 years. The Parliament adopted the new regulations on Thursday by a large majority.

government spokeswoman Joanna Kopcinska rejected a connection of the law with the documentary as "absurd". The new regulations are for ten months in the job. Nevertheless, Vice-head of the government, Jaroslaw Gowin acknowledged that the public debate on child abuse "certain electoral consequences".

(amc/AFP)

Created: 18.05.2019, 09:10 PM