The Film “Kler” (“clergy”), new Polish cinema, has seen hardly anyone. But already now, he fuelled the debate on the abuses of the powerful Catholic Church in the country.
“Kler” – Movie Scene
“Controversial” was called the Film, long before he came in the cinemas. Now here he is, in some cinemas Kler “” even 20 Times a day, because the demand is high. On the other hand, it does not want to see some of the conservative governed municipalities in cinemas at all. A better advertising could think of Director Wojciech Smarzowski.
Movie tickets only, if you are lucky. And who what managed to get, there are also worse places to be satisfied. Because it is currently one of the hottest topics being discussed in Poland: the interaction of the clergy with money, Power, and sexuality. Also the theme of pedophilia is addressed in the Film image. In this debate many want to participate, particularly because it is conducted in a country where almost half the population regularly attends Sunday worship services and over 90 percent of the people are baptized Catholic.
A hot topic: handling of the clergy with money, Power, and sexuality (movie scene)
The first reactions are divided: The Association of Catholic journalists is holding the Film for “anti-Catholic” and “anti-Polish”, a reviewer of the liberal Catholic magazine “As” for “superficial” and “cliched”. Many others see in the Film, however, breaks a taboo and may potentially trigger a long-overdue reappraisal.
A small Hotel for boys
“Without journalists or film-makers, the topic of pedophilia would be completely concealed,” confirms Piotr Krysiak, published in 2017, the book “Wyspa Ślepców” (English: “The island of the Blind”), in an interview with Deutsche Welle. Six Times he flew for his research in the Dominican Republic. There he met the Polish priest Wojciech G.. A nice, slightly rounded man who took him, and warm, and about his life in the Caribbean told. Krysiak was in search of Poland, the life on the island. Strange is a small Hotel for boys by a priest in his house appeared to him just then. “A boarding school for girls was there, and I probably would not have become aware of, when Wojciech had not said : ‘To go the girls, I, You know’.”
Wojciech G., has been sitting for about four years in prison. He has abused several young miss, Krysiak spoke to two of his victims. “In Marki, near Warsaw, he needs children miss. No one has believed them. Finally, it was about a priest, a person of trust,” said Krysiak.
His book was not a Bestseller, nevertheless, Krysiak decided to pay from the sale of each copy of a Zloty to the victims of Wojciech G.. None of the children got up to today, compensation. Wojciech G. sits in prison and has no money, and the order feels it is not the responsibility. Finally, a priest was convicted and not the entire order. “The Boy I know well, should get around a 40,000 Zloty (10,000 Euro). He was about four years of failure,” says Krysiak.
Constant dripping wears away the stone
Official Figures on abuse in the Catholic Church in Poland. According to Polish media 27 Catholic priests were sentenced in the years 2002-2012. The Foundation “Never lękajcie się” (German: “Fear not”), however, speaks of much more Judgments, the not were to the Public. The Foundation is currently helping 300 people have become after your details have been victims of abuse by clergy.
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Initially, it was difficult to find psychologists, if a priest were in the game, said Marek Lisiński, an employee of the group to the Portal Onet: “so Far, none of the abuse was gained in Poland, the victims a fair redress. In one case, a settlement was concluded and money paid, but explicitly in the context of ‘Christian kindness’ and not, for example, because the offender had caused the victim’s suffering and pain,” Lisiński.
But here there is movement, because a few days ago, a Polish court convicted for the first time a religious community – and not just a single priest – to the payment of a compensation in the amount of the equivalent of 250,000 euros.
The topic moved to the Polish Public. In a this week by the daily newspaper “Rzeczpospolita” has published a survey, four-fifths of the respondents, explain the paedophilia in the Church to the Problem. Nearly three-quarters are calling for full transparency in the investigation. Director Smarzowski does not believe, however, that the Church presents itself to the allegations really. “The examples from Europe show that the Church compensated without the pressure of the state without secular commissions, their victims,” says the Director.
No one had found the courage to deal thoroughly with the cases of abuse in the Caribbean, complained to the Director on a previous occasion. Opposition, wrote to him at the time, the author of the book Krysiak. There is, however, a book about the abuse in the Dominican Republic. For Smarzowski, the reading seems to be a revelation. He hope to shoot a Film about it. And he wrote in a dedication in Krysiaks book: “Constant dripping wears away the stone.” Krysiak goes a step further: “Smarzowskis Film is not a drop. It is a wedge that cleaves the stone.”
“Poland is still at the beginning”
May be he is right. Recently, the Polish bishops ‘ conference, announced an investigation report. In November, the Church intends to publish Figures on the extent of the abuse, and, in the future, all the dioceses of prevention is to implement programs. “It is important that both priests as well as laypeople will be aware of the need to protect children and young people, and the suffering of the victims deal with it,” said Poland’s Primate, Archbishop Wojciech Polak at the conclusion of the plenary Assembly of the bishops ‘ conference this week.
Controversial reactions in Poland: from “anti-Catholic” and “anti-Polish” to “major taboo”
“If we compare ourselves with other countries, so I have to admit that Poland is only at the beginning. If I look at what has been achieved, for example, in Germany, I know that it will still be a very long way,” says Artur Sporniak, editor of the Catholic weekly “Tygodnik Powszechny”. And adds: “I’m cautiously optimistic”.