Beatification of a charismatic martyr

His name was Jerzy Popiełuszko. He was born on September 14, 1947, in Okupy, in the Bialystok region, Poland. He grew up in communist Poland and became a priest. In the 1980s, Fr Jerzy was first sent to provide pastoral services to strikers in the Warsaw steelworks. The workers loved him. Thereafter, he was associated with workers and trade unionists from Lech Walesa's Movement, which opposed the communist regime and strived for workers' protection. He soon became known as a charismatic, fearless defender of the rights of workers and their families.

Fr Jerzy became the symbol of the spiritual power of Solidarity. Step by step, his non-violent struggle for freedom, truth, justice and human dignity in enslaved Poland became too heavy for the communist regime. On October 19, 1984, Fr Jerzy was brutally murdered by agents of the internal intelligence agency, the security service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the time.

Tomorrow June 6, 2010, just a few days before the conclusion of the Year for Priests (on Friday), Fr Jerzy is to be beatified. The celebration will be held in Warsaw's Piłsudski Square and will be presided over by Archbishop Angelo Amato SDB, prefect of the Holy See Congregation for the Causes of Saint.

Fr Jerzy was 18 years old when he entered the seminary to become a priest. At the beginning of the second year of his studies he was called for army service. The compulsory recruitment of seminarians was seen as part of the communist strategy in the fight against the Catholic Church in Poland, also fomented by its atheistic policies. After two difficult years, physically exhausted and ill, Fr Jerzy returned to the seminary.

Following his May 1872 ordination by Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski, Fr Jerzy worked as a curate in Warsaw parishes from 1972 to 1979. He managed to establish close relations with his parishioners. Then, in 1979, due to health problems, he was given less demanding duties in St Anne parish, in Warsaw. This experience brought him closer to young people. They loved him. In him they saw not only a spiritual guide but also a friend.

In June 1980, Fr Jerzy was sent to St Stanisław Kostka church in Warsaw, where, besides his duties in the parish, he continued his work with students and became the pastor of a group of medical professionals.

In August 1980, Fr Jerzy was asked to provide pastoral care to striking workers in the Warsaw steelworks. The workers welcomed him. He soon became their pastor. His powerful sermons were considered as a source of spiritual strength for striking workers in their struggle for freedom and human dignity. Fr Jerzy's messages were inspired by gospel values. He called on people to boldly resist evil in their everyday choices. He used to ask them: "Whose side do you want to take, the side of good or the side of evil, of truth or falsehood, of love or hatred?"

Also in August 1980, the Solidarity Movement was born as a result of strikes by workers in shipyards in Gdansk. For the first time under a communist regime, all levels of the population were united in a free trade union which swiftly grew to about 10 million members. The movement was, in essence, a "spiritual revolution" started above all in response to the violation of human dignity and rights. It aimed at long-term social change. Its leader was Mr Walesa.

Fr Jerzy, who many people used to consider as a simple and shy priest, was chosen as the chaplain of the Solidarity Movement. He became their spiritual leader. He did so by virtue of his undaunted faithfulness to Christ in the gospel. Following the imposition of martial law, on December 13, 1981, he also managed to organise help for interned workers and their families. The flat where he used to reside became a store for clothes and medicines.

Fr Jerzy's famous "Masses for the Homeland", which he started celebrating in 1982, used to be attended by thousands of people. In his sermons, he used to ask people to "include God in the difficult and powerful problems of the country". He promoted respect for human rights, for the rights of workers and the dignity of persons, all in the light of the gospel of Christ. In his teaching, especially during the "Masses for the Homeland", he represented total fidelity to the gospel and to the teaching of the Church.

During the period of martial law, the Catholic Church was the only force that could voice protest comparatively openly in Poland. Fr Jerzy's preaching continued to be loud and clear. His sermons were regularly broadcast by Radio Free Europe. They became renowned throughout Poland. People appreciated his uncompromising stand in favour of justice.

The communist authorities started to perceive Fr Jerzy's words as political criticism of the state. The communist party accused him of "activity harmful to the interests of the people of Poland". He continued to be spied upon by the communist secret police and to be subjected to aggressive media propaganda. He was arrested under various pretexts, interrogated and even threatened with death.

Fr Jerzy never stopped preaching. He invariably encouraged people to follow the teaching of Jesus and resist evil with good. In his last sermon before his tragic death, he said that, in order to defeat evil with good, in order to preserve the dignity of man, one must not use violence. "Let us pray that we may be free from fear and intimidation but, above all, from yearning for revenge and violence," he said.

A car "accident" was set up to kill Fr Jerzy on October 13, 1984, but he managed to escape the attempt. The alternative plan was to kidnap him. This plot was carried out on October 19, 1984. The priest was beaten and murdered by three security police officers. Then, his body was dumped into the Vistula Water Reservoir near Włocławek from where it was recovered on October 30, 1984. His funeral took place on November 3, 1984. It was attended by hundreds of thousands of people.

Fr Jerzy was immediately considered a martyr for the faith. His tomb at St Stanisław Kostka church in Warsaw, continuously guarded by volunteers for the past 25 years, became a destination of pilgrimages. It is estimated that it has already been visited by about 18 million people from all over the world.

Church leaders in Poland have expressed the hope that Fr Jerzy's beatification will recall values for which he gave his life and revive interest in a remarkable story of Christian courage and witness.