In the space of a few weeks, an obscure
provincial priest, already established in his academic career as a
lecturer at the prestigious John Paul II Pontifical University in Krakow
(abruptly interrupted by his bishop last 26 May), has become enemy
number one of the Polish Church.
He is accused of trying to destroy the
unity of the Church. Father Piotr Natanek, born in 1960, rector of the
Niepokalanow Carthusian monastery in Grzechynia (in the southern part of
the country near the Slovakian border) is physically robust and is a
good-humored man, but he is showing himself to be the next Savonarola.
He has been criticised by everyone, including the hierarchy.
But the
ferocity of his judgments would carry less weight if it weren’t for the
internet.
In the space of a few days, Father Natanek’s sermon against
the incursions of Satan into the lives of young Poles, recorded on
amateur video, was seen on the web by more than half a million people.
And this, it seems, was too much for his bishop, Cardinal Stanislaw
Dziwisz, former special secretary to John Paul II.
After having the
case examined by a theological commission, he decided to suspend the
rebel priest a divinis for disobedience: Natanek had already received more than one admonition, and should have shown more self-control.
Father Stanislaw explained the situation in a
letter dated 20 July, reminding Father Natanek, “known for his
controversial homilies and messages posted on the web,” that he had not
obeyed the disciplinary directives of 28 January 2010; had disregarded
the canonic admonishments of 25 May 2007, 23 February 2009, and 9 April
2010; had ignored the invitation to a meeting with his superiors; has
continued his damaging utterances - including those that were
prohibited; spreads opinions not approved by the Church regarding the
regality of Jesus Christ, based on private revelations and inspired by
the eschatological seven, which is outside of the teachings of Church
doctrine; he has also publicly put into doubt the authority of priests
and, not least, invalidly celebrated a marriage, without the required
mandate.
Cardinal Dziwisz told Father Natanek that his actions were
causing damage to his faithful followers and to the entire Church
community, which fully earns him the penalty set down in Canon 1371 in
the Code of Canon Law, and also Canon 1393, for repeatedly defying
orders.
The only response Stanislaw received occurred four days later,
when Natanek celebrated a public Mass in which he bluntly accused his
bishop of being a Freemason.
At the same time, a group of his followers
wrote a letter to the Apostolic Nuncio to Poland, Monsignor Celestino
Migliore, defending Natanek and stating that “the real threat to the
Polish Church is not Father Piotr Natanek or others like him, but the
Hierarchy itself.”
The letter, which will also be sent to the Pope, was
signed by 1400 people.
“With great regret we inform you about the
continued attacks on Father Natanek by the Church hierarchy, including
the Archbishop of Krakow,” his supporters wrote.
“We faithful of the
Catholic Church are not afraid of Father Piotr Natanek, as was suggested
to us, but rather of the hierarchy, which introduces too much novelty
and distances us from the Sacred Tradition.”
The rebel priest recently
compared himself to Monsignor Marcel Lefebvre, who was excommunicated
during the pontificate of John Paul II - a further signal of the
distancing that he has reiterated to his faithful followers: “In the end
you will have good and decent Masses.”
No one is spared by his invective, and his
progression from controversial comments to insulting and denigrating
dead prelates, is always a given.
Speaking of Monsignor Józef Życiński -
Archbishop of Lublin, a famous intellectual and supporter of Europe who
died several months ago in Rome - Father Natanek “revealed” that “now
the bishop is in hell, bound by the heaviest chain to Mohammed” and that
“his cries can be heard in heaven.”
To the victims of the
torrential rains and tornados that recently struck many parts of Poland,
the priest who has been suspended a divinis, advised them to
claim damages from the Curia of Krakow, implicitly accusing it of having
provoked these disasters.
His blatant actions increase day by day: he
recently attacked a TVN 24 film crew, asking God to curse them. Father
Piotr Natanek confidently declares to his followers: “I must force you
to get to heaven, even if you try to stop me.”
His power seems to be
based on the fact that he never stops talking.