Polish Episcopal Conference
Announcement of the Church Historical Commission
The Church Historical Commission, on the request of Archbishop Stanislaw Wielgus, presented to the President of the Commission, prof. Wojciech Laczkowski on 2nd January 2007, became acquainted with the materials made available by the National Remembrance Institute (IPN), concerning his person. These records are included in a file called “Jacket nr 7207” (the documents were produced by the VIII (XI) Section of the Department I [one] in the Home Office).
The Commission analysed the materials submitted to them, guided by premises stated in the document from 12th December 2006, entitled “Work goals and regulations of the Church Historical Commission”. In this study (pt. II.3) the Commission decided that the following premises should be included while making a moral judgment about the collaboration with secret services of the People’s Republic of Poland (PRL):
1) a written or oral declaration of consent to conscious and secret collaboration (eg. hidden from one’s superiors);
2) active collaboration by the person who gave such declaration;
3) consciously harming lay people, clergy and Church institutions;
4) the intentions of the actions.
The Commission found out that there are numerous and substantial documents confirming the readiness for conscious and secret collaboration with the PRL secret services on the part of Fr. Stanislaw Wielgus. It also appears from the documents that this collaboration was actually taken up.
Collaboration with SB (secret service) was prohibited by the Episcopate. In the IPN documentation there are preserved opinions of the PRL intelligence officers, referring to SB materials, which indirectly show that Fr. Stanislaw Wielgus’s activities in the Lublin milieu could do damage to various people from the Church circles. As concerns the collaboration with PRL intelligence, the analysis of documents does not allow to unambiguously state that Fr. Stanislaw Wielgus harmed anyone.
The Commission does not exclude that in future new materials concerning the issue under question may appear, which – if need be – will be subject to analysis and assessment.
The Commission submitted their report to Archbishop Stanislaw Wielgus, with a request to express his position. In response Archbishop denied most statements contained in the PRL security services materials, which were made available to the commission by IPN. He stated, among other things, that he has never done anybody any harm, either by deed or word.
Warsaw, 5th January 2007
Prof. Wojciech Laczkowski
The President of the Church Historical Commission
Fr. Prof. Jerzy Myszor
Vice-President
Prof. Zbigniew Cieslak
Fr. Dr. Bogdan Stanaszek
Fr. Prof. Jacek Urban
Members
