The Catholic Church in Poland has a new leader, who is reported to be ‘neither ultra conservative nor liberal’.
Poznań’s Archbishop Stanisław Gadecki took over from Archbishop Józef Michalik as the head of the Polish episcopate on March 12.
He said that his job began at a ‘difficult time’ for the Church in Poland, which has been rocked by a series of child abuse scandals – and more so by the words of Archbishop Michalik, who laid part of the blame for paedophilia on the shoulders of children and broken homes.
Archbishop Gadecki said that the Church in Poland had also been presented in the media as ‘backward’ in comparison to the openness of Pope Francis, who is set to visit Kraków for World Youth Day in 2016. It was on Gadecki’s watch that a school in Poznań banned ‘satanic’ Hello Kitty merchandise from classes.
However, he added that the Church must maintain tradition, or it would fall.
Archbishop Michalik stood down in accordance with Church regulations, after completing his two terms as leader.
Picture: Archbishop Gadecki (right) with Kraków’s Archbishop Stanisław Dziwisz
