Poland's anti-communist Solidarity revolution of the 1980's had close links to the Catholic church.But two decades since the collapse of communism, critics say it's time for the church to distance itself from politics.
Poland's newest mobile phone network, W Rodzinie, promotes itself as a family-friendly service.
The brand's name means "all in the family." It's the country's first network to introduce a phone for seniors, with an extra large display and keys.
According to the commercial, it's perfect for the granny who just can't cope with the complicated digital toys offered by the competition.
But there's more to the W Rodzinie network than meets the eye. It advertises on just one TV channel and one radio station - TV Trwam and Radio Maryja - both of which are owned by the controversial Roman Catholic priest Father Rydzyk.
W Rodzinie is the latest addition to his growing media empire, which broadcasts a hardline message into millions of homes.
His audience is known as the "Family of Radio Maryja," and is mostly made up of those who feel left behind by Poland's fast-paced market reforms. They are a political force to be reckoned with. Grazyna, a teacher in her 50's, lives in Warsaw, but often visits her parents in a village in eastern Poland, where she says everyone listens to Radio Maryja.
Fundamentalists gaining influence
"People in the countryside are influenced by Father Rydzyk, because it's a station that's available everywhere," she said. "When you switch on the radio, it's the first station that you can find. He tells them what to do and they follow his instructions. There's not much logic in it, so I don't feel convinced by what they say."
Father Rydzyk recently provoked intense criticism when he made racist jokes at the expense of a baffled African priest who was invited to celebrate mass together with him. In spite of the uproar, he emerged unscathed. Catholic journalist Zbigniew Nosowski, editor of the Wiez monthly, said that, once again, the country's Roman Catholic bishops couldn't agree what to do with the troublesome priest.
"Groups that can be called Catholic fundamentalists have become stronger in recent years," said Nosowski. "They have become an important player in the public debate. Radio Maryja is a classic example. It's a big problem for the Polish church to have such a large, organized group within itself. The church in Poland is lacking a vision. Poles got used to the fact that we had strong figures like John Paul II, but now we don't have such strong personalities."
But the problem isn't just on the side of the church. Since the fall of communism, Polish politicians have often been accused of forging a tightly knit relationship with the church.
At a recent international conference on Poland's harsh abortion law, human rights campaigner Wanda Nowicka showed slides of left-wing leaders keen to be photographed next to Roman Catholic bishops.
"That shows you the context in which we are working," she said. "Even the left, which in theory should be pushing for more liberal legislation, is very much dependent on the church."
More distance needed, critics say
This spells trouble in the long run - not just for the Polish political system, but also for the church, according to Szymon Holownia of the liberal TV channel Religia.
"The church is not the place for political agitation," he said. "I think we have made some mistakes in this area, where the church became very strongly connected with politics on a social level. We were creating a new country, a new system, but now everything's changed, and I think there's no turning back."
As Radio Maryja continues to be the early morning and bedtime listening for millions of Poles, politicians who claim to have the backing of the church are free to push their conservative agenda.
This year alone, the Polish parliament has passed a law under which pedophiles are to face chemical castration, while the future of IVF treatment in Poland is hanging in the balance, with a strong Catholic lobby calling for a ban because of what it calls the murder of surplus human embryos produced during the procedure. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++Disclaimer
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SIC: DW