But in June, the bishops' conference wants to decide who will lead the commission. Archbishop Wojciech Polak of Gniezno (Gnesen) is to propose one or more candidates for the presidency.
"The credibility and independence of this commission will ultimately depend on the authority of the person taking over the chairmanship," Polak said of the importance of the staffing.
The bishops are said to have already agreed that a layman and not a cleric will become commission chief.
Three committees must agree to the appointment of the chairperson(s): both religious superior conferences of the nuns and gentlemen, as well as the General Assembly of Bishops.
The Commission has been tasked with determining the extent of the sexual abuse of minors in the dioceses and religious communities since 1945.
Question of independence
It should be clarified: How did the Church react to these crimes? Recommendations on abuse prevention are also expected from the Commission. The new Archbishop of Krakow, Cardinal Grzegorz Rys, emphasizes yet another goal: "Above all, the Commission should help us to reach the injured parties, to whom we have not yet found access." Rys hopes these abuse sufferers will come forward and the church can then help them.
Critics had protested in the autumn, the planned guidelines seriously restricting the independence of the commission of inquiry. There were no guarantees for free access to the archives. Father Grzegorz Strzelczyk, who is committed to those affected by sexual abuse, also complained that the commission should not subpoena and hear anyone.
The panel is supposed to have no leverage. Cardinal Rys also rejects "subpoenas and interrogations." "We have said from the beginning that it is not an investigative commission," he said in an interview. However, the Commission must have the possibility to listen to people. "Oral reports are necessary, but as a historical source rather than a material for investigation," Rys said.
The other Commissioner(s) shall appoint the Chairperson himself. This is to ensure independence.
Archbishop Polak, meanwhile, has already stated that the panel will not include any abuse victims.
However, this does not mean that those affected would not be involved in their work, he explained. The research project is expected to last three years.
Not reacting properly?
The reason for the formation of a commission are older accusations against the former Krakow Cardinal Karol Wojtyla, the later Pope John Paul II (1978–2005), in connection with abuse cases. Among other things, in a TV documentary, Wojtyla had been accused in March 2023 of being known as archbishop of allegations of child sexual abuse against three clergymen and not responding properly.
In the same month, the Episcopal Conference announced an independent investigation in all dioceses. Poland's bishops also appealed "to everyone to respect the memory of one of our most important countrymen." In the official announcement at the time, "unprecedented" attempts were to "discredit the person and the work of St. John Paul II."
In recent weeks, two journalists from the daily newspaper "Rzeczpospolita" have already been allowed to take a look at documents from the Archdiocese of Krakow, after the new Archbishop of Krakow, Cardinal Rys, had opened the diocese's archive for such investigations. The media search exonerates John Paul II, who was canonized in 2014.
"Wojtyla did not cover up cases of pedophilia and did not transfer priests when he learned of their crimes," according to the church lawyer and editor of the "Rzeczpospolita," Tomasz Krzyzak.
Church of Poland between reform pressure, media conflict and education dispute
Wojtyla had suspended in the 1970s as archbishop perpetrator and, for example, prohibited them from carrying out priestly duties. The spokesman of the Archdiocese of Krakow, Piotr Studnicki, knew, however, when one judges Wojtyla's reactions from today's point of view, "we can be disappointed that he has not taken any action that seems natural to us today".
Although Wojtyla had been convinced of the moral reprehensibility of pedophilia, "he did not remain free of mistakes," he said. Wojtyla did not realize at the time "how important it is to take the perspective of those affected by abuse, to meet with them and to listen to them."
Holiness not attacked
The then archbishop "did not care about the injured," diocese spokesman Studnicki said in an interview with the weekly magazine "Tygodnik Powszechny." However, he emphasized that in the known cases, Wojtyla had observed the state laws and the ecclesiastical law at that time and took the measures prescribed therein. The sanctity of John Paul II does not see Studnicki attacked.
"The holiness of Karol Wojtyla does not require an idealization of his persona, nor the concealment of his limits, or even his faults," he says. “For holiness is to live faith, hope and love heroically, despite one’s own sins, faults, and boundaries. As proud as we can be of his Christian virtues, we should be able to accept that he made mistakes and had weaknesses.
Studnicki hopes that further research will give a more complete picture: "They offer us the chance to discover Wojtyla's humanity and also to correct our image of holiness." Cardinal Rys seems to see it similarly. The Archbishop of Krakow told the Polish broadcaster TVN24 that the image of the Church in Poland is certainly more damaging to the lack of an abuse commission than if it existed.