However, the ex-priest rejected the libel ruling and said he had no intention of “apologizing for the truth.”
On May 31, the District Court in Lodz ruled that Roman Kotlinski, a former priest, had “flagrantly violated the good name” of the local Catholic archdiocese. The court ordered him to publish apologies in three Polish newspapers.
The 38-year-old ex-priest said he would appeal against the sentence and was ready to take the case to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg.
“This is terrible scandal—the court denied us any chance to defend ourselves and heard only one side of the dispute,” Kotlinski said. “The sentence proves the church in Poland is untouchable. But I have no intention of apologizing to anyone and will continue to write the truth and nothing but the truth.”
Kotlinski said his key witness, a former Communist secret police agent currently completing a 15-year sentence for killing a Roman Catholic priest, had been refused leave to testify, adding that the court had also rejected documentary evidence from local passport and transport offices.
Kotlinski, who quit the priesthood in 1993 a few months after his ordination, made the allegation at the center of the case in the March 2000 issue of a weekly news magazine, Facts and Myths, which he edits. The newspaper has carried regular features about alleged church scandals in Poland.
In her ruling, Judge Ewa Sztynberg also ordered Kotlinski to pay court costs and a fine of 8,000 zloties (US$2,000) to a Catholic charity, Caritas.
“A good reputation and good name are basic personal values immanently connected to the functioning of a Catholic archdiocese,” the judge said. “Untruthful accusations that the archdiocese engaged in unlawful economic activity unquestionably undermine its authority.”
The ex-priest, who married and left the Catholic Church after returning to secular life, published a book, I Was a Priest, which has topped Poland’s non-fiction, best-seller list. In 1998, he said he was setting up an association for ex-priests, as well as a network of legal advice centers “to show the church it faces major opposition.”
Poland’s church-owned Catholic Information Agency (KAI) reported on May 31 that Kotlinski had agreed to “apologize and admit to writing calumnies” in a second action in connection with the same March 2000 article, and was also facing libel charges from a parish priest from Pabianice.
However, Kotlinski denied this. “We know some of our formulations were slightly hurtful, and we’ve beaten our breasts and consented to express regret for them,” he said. “But we won’t apologize for any defamation, since our facts are all correct.”
The chancellor of Lodz archdiocese, which is under direct Vatican jurisdiction, welcomed the ruling, saying it was “in line with expectations.”
Copyright © 2001 ENI.
Related Elsewhere
In January 1999, Roman Kotlinski promised to be a ‘thorn in the side’ of the Roman Catholic Church.Christianity Today’s sister publication, Leadership Journal examined how Christian leaders should handle accusations and lies. The magazine also noted that Jesus too was falsely accused.
Recent Christianity Today articles on Catholicism in Poland include:
Poland’s Catholic Bishops Asks Forgiveness for Wartime Massacre of Jews | Theologian says continued anti-Semitism overshadows gesture (June 12, 2001)
Chicago’s Cardinal Issues Warning to Visiting Polish Priest | But measures against anti-Semitic remarks called “stupidity” and “garbage” by priest’s spokesman. (May 9, 2000)
At Jerusalem’s Holocaust Memorial, Pope Regrets Persecution of Jews | Catholic Church ‘deeply saddened by anti-Semitism directed against the Jews by Christians.’ (March 20, 2000)
At Historic Service, Polish Church Leaders Ask Pardon For Past Mistakes | Catholic, Orthodox, and Lutheran heads apologize for egoism and indifference. (March 13, 2000)
