Polish Catholics urged to pray and fast after protesters cut off masses over abortion sentence

An archbishop urged Polish Catholics to pray and fast on Tuesday after protesters cut off masses in the wake of a historic ruling on abortion.

Archbishop Marek Jędraszewski of Krakow issued the appeal on October 27 after protesters interrupted Sunday masses across Poland.

"Since our Master, Jesus Christ, asked for true love of neighbor, I ask you to pray and fast for the understanding of this truth by all and for peace in our homeland", the archbishop wrote to his flock. .

The Archdiocese of Krakow reported that young Catholics stood outside churches during the protests in an effort to prevent disruptions and clean up graffiti.

The nationwide protests began after the constitutional court ruled on October 22 that a law allowing abortion for fetal abnormalities was unconstitutional.

In the highly anticipated ruling, the Constitutional Tribunal in Warsaw declared that the law introduced in 1993 was incompatible with the Polish constitution.

The final ruling could lead to a significant reduction in the number of abortions in the country. Abortion will continue to remain legal in the event of rape or incest and will risk the mother's life.

In addition to disrupting masses, protesters left graffiti on church property, vandalized a statue of St. John Paul II, and chanted slogans to the clergy.

Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki, president of the Polish bishops' conference, urged the demonstrators to express their opposition "in a socially acceptable way".

"The vulgarity, the violence, the abusive registrations and the disturbance of services and desecrations that have been committed in recent days - although they may help some people defuse their emotions - are not the right way to act in a democratic state", The Archbishop of Poznań said this on 25 October.

"I express my sadness that today in many churches believers have been prevented from praying and that the right to profess their faith has been forcibly taken away".

Gądecki Cathedral was among the churches targeted by protesters.

The archbishop will chair a meeting of the permanent council of the Polish bishops' conference on Wednesday to discuss the current situation.

Archbishop Wojciech Polak, the primate of Poland, told Polish Radio Plus that he was surprised by the scale and sharp tone of the protests.

“We cannot react with evil to evil; we must react with good. Our weapon is not to fight, but to pray and meet before God, ”the archbishop of Gniezno said Tuesday.

On Wednesday, the website of the Polish Bishops 'Conference highlighted Pope Francis' greeting to the Polish speakers during Wednesday's general audience.

“On 22 October we celebrated the liturgical memorial of Saint John Paul II, on this centenary of his birth - the Pope said -. He has always invoked a privileged love for the least and defenseless and for the protection of every human being from conception to natural death “.

"Through the intercession of Mary Most Holy and the Holy Polish Pontiff, I ask God to arouse in the hearts every respect for the life of our brothers, especially the most fragile and defenseless, and to give strength to those who welcome and care for this, even when it requires heroic love “.