How did KEP's letter for the 40th anniversary of John Paul II's visit to the synagogue? Who is its author and how was it performed by bishops? We asked the Episcopate about this, and about the findings, in the program “I, Catholic”, says Krystian Kratiuk. In the material we besides uncover the fact about the intentions of prayers in synagogues, to which the purple people invitation to visit.
The last letter of the Polish Episcopal Conference raised considerable emotions among the faithful. The PCh24.pl edition decided to check at its origin how this paper was created, who was its author and how many bishops were in favour of its adoption.
– I sent these simple questions. First, who is the actual author of this letter? Did he come out of a bishop's pen? If so, which one? Or is it the work of a body? And so on. Was the letter discussed at the 404th KEP meeting? Or possibly the bishops did not know the contents of this letter before and received it only at the sitting? Or did they get it with an e-mail? Did any bishop at the gathering of the KEP object to the content of this letter? How was it decided to accept this letter? By acclaim or by a vote? If the letter was voted on, I asked how much the vote was accepted, how many bishops voted for, how many against, etc. – is reported by Krystian Kratiuk in the program “I, Catholic” on YouTube.
In their response, the Episcopal Press Service indicated that The draft letter was prepared by the KEP Committee on dialog with Judaism. It was conducted in accordance with mostly accepted principles of the letter at the Polish Episcopal Conference and adopted by secret ballot.
– No individual signed, so I, having taken this information, asked what the general principles of the letter in the Polish Episcopal Conference looked like. I already know that the vote was held, that it was secret, so there was no acclamation. If the vote was secret, then, of course, the secret 1 remains which bishop voted in how. But not the consequence of that vote. All we know is that the majority of the votes were in favour. But whether it was the majority of 51 to 49, or 60 to 40, or 99 to 1 or 100 to 0, we don't know. So I asked. And I one more time asked whether the letter was subject to discussion and whether anyone in the forum publically expressed doubts about its content. I tried to find out. I waited 24 hours. I called... – reports Krystian Kratiuk. Another call... And the next flash of assurances that the answer will be... She's here. After the program... Equally dated – that there will be no more information, they stay an interior substance of the KEP.
So what do we know? That there was a vote, no acclamation. We besides know that these general rules on letter procedures have been implemented. What are the rules? – Here we have concrete information that the Committee on dialog with Judaism has prepared this. His president is Cardinal Grzegorz Ryś – the capital of Kratiuk. We do not know, however, whether the letter was presented to the Standing Council of the KEP, whether it appeared on the full KEP, whether and how the hierarchs received this letter...
– This is information that has been hidden from us. Then, according to the practice of accepting KEP's letters, we know that there is simply a discussion at the plenary meeting. And it takes place at the time of the gathering of all bishops, and formally the paper is accepted by vote. A majority of ordinary, sometimes qualified votes are usually required. How was it this time? Again, I have not received an answer from the Ombudsman. Voting is sometimes secret... That means that individual in charge of the secretarial nature of this vote has concluded. And it could have happened for different reasons. Firstly, because, for example, Cardinal Ryś himself considered that the vote on this substance could be controversial. And the bishops will be ashamed of how they rise their hands. Could it have been, or was it? We don't know due to the fact that the Ombudsman didn't answer. But I think it was different. A much more probable version is that any bishops, knowing themselves to be against this letter, called for the vote to be secret. Is that what happened? It's any incredible mystery of the episcopal spokesman. He stressed.
As Krystian Kratiuk pointed out, this is rather a curiosity situation, due to the fact that in the latest past of the Church, specified as the Second Vatican Council, the synod of Pope Francis, always voting, if they were secret, the public opinion of votes for and against was made public. It was besides always known who prepared the document. – Here we have a secret which has not been solved by the press spokesperson of the Polish Episcopal Conference. I'm very sorry. He commented.
Walls filled with prayer. But what?
In the episcopal letter, in the last paragraph, there is an incentive to visit the synagogue and the memories of men and women whose prayers “wet the walls of idols for centuries.” What prayers did synagogues soak? Prof. Gościwit Malinowski wrote about this in item on his Facebook page.
Let's just quote the passage:
"For the apostates, let there be no hope unless they return to your Law; and let the Minim perish immediately; and let not the enemies of your people be removed; and let the impudent authority be removed immediately, destruct and degrade in our days; let them perish immediately; let them be blotted out of the Book of Life and with the righteous be not saved; and let the enemies of your people and of his persecutors be removed; and break the yoke of the Gentiles out of our necks and affairs, lest our enemies return to health; Blessed art thou, Lord, who destroys the transgressors and subdues the arrogant." The full entry can be read HERE.
The silent paragraph
The host of the program besides pointed to the Vatican paper to which the letter refers, which is not mentioned in the letter of the CEP. It's about Reflections on theological issues relating to Catholic-Jewish relations on the 50th anniversary of Nostra aetate (Article 4), prepared in 2015 by the Committee on spiritual Relations with Judaism, published by the Holy See. The case was brought to the station7.pl by Fr Przemysław Śliwiński. The letter of the CEP stated a peculiar mysterious way of salvation without Christ. A very crucial component of the letter was silenced, stressing that Jesus Christ is the only way of salvation.
That is why the disputed conviction from the letter cannot be read as a message that there are 2 independent ways of salvation. The authors of the quoted text do not deny Christ’s uniqueness. On the contrary, immediately before paragraph 36 of the "Reflection" quoted in the letter of the CEP, in point 35 of the same document, it is expressly stated that "there can be no different ways for salvation," and the explanation of 2 separate ways, judaic without Christ and Christian with Christ, "threats the foundations of the Christian faith." In another words, the 2015 paper first rejects the concept of 2 parallel ways of salvation, and only then states that the Jews are partakers of God's salvation, and that the manner in which this is done without the explicit confession of Christ remains a mystery of God-- wrote Fr. Śliwiński.
– This letter is about the Catholics' attitude towards the followers of Judaism. And we read at the end of this letter as a phrase that is to be most memorable to us, that there is no uncertainty that the Jews are partakers of God's salvation. There is nothing here that Father Przemysław wrote that “Dominus Jesus” is written otherwise. So we are glad that Christ is inactive the only way of salvation, we confirm it, we only regret that it was not in this letter – Krystian Kratiuk commented, stressing that the pathers cannot compose letters to the faithful in specified a way that they gotta read them, search for the intended meaning of the words directed to them.
As he estimated, the Vatican paper cited shows that the Church and Judaism cannot be represented as 2 parallel paths to salvation, and the Church must bear witness to Christ the Redeemer toward all. – Christian religion confesses that God wants to bring all men to salvation, that Jesus Christ is simply a universal mediator of salvation, and that no another name was given to men under heaven in which we could be saved. It's the same document! There is no specified content in the letter of Polish bishops to Polish believers. For this there is the impression that we are to go to the synagogue, where for years, for centuries the walls of the idols were soaked with joyful prayer, and the Jews are part of God's salvation. How can the faithful realize this? How? Without recalling what the Vatican clearly states in its paper on the same subject. How much it would calm down if this letter were constructed on the rule of “let us respect our fellow Jews surviving in Poland, judaic people, believers of another religion, Judaism” if we wrote it this way alternatively than as it was written. – he added.
We encourage you to perceive to the full program “I, Catholic”
