Krzeszów is simply a tiny village in Lower Silesia, located about 25 km west of Wałbrzych. Here is the abbey of Cistercians, called the "European Pearl of Baroque", whose past dates back to the 12th century. Its part is the Sanctuary of Our woman of Grace, to which pilgrimages have been drawn for years. Like this 1 announced on the net – a national, thank-you, on the occasion of the election of Karol Nawrocki as president of Poland, who is to visit Krzeszów on 15 June.
The programme has a mass at 12 noon, then a visit to the sanctuary, at 2 p.m. "talk about Poland" is planned.
Priest: "You have plowed the Jasna Góra, and now you have taken up the sanctuary in Krzeszów"
– I was shocked erstwhile I saw that poster on the Internet. There has never been specified a political pilgrimage with us before – the inhabitants of Krzeszów respond.
Another of the inhabitants, besides surprised: – We are accustomed to pilgrimages, there are respective of them all year. But this is more political. It hasn't been here before.
The election was won by Karol Nawrocki. But people here, like all over Poland, are divided. “I don’t see much excitement in this pilgrimage, but possibly it’s besides loud. It is besides political for me – we hear another opinion.
In comments on the FB of the local Regional Information portal any write: "What age do we live in? Circus on wheels!", "And it's this apolitical Catholic church," "a shame about words."
Fr. Paweł Gużyński, a well-known Dominican, besides commented on the post of 1 of the PiS politicians: "You have plowed Jasna Góra, and now you have taken up as a sanctuary in Krzeszów. Colonization of holy places in progress! And the parish priest must be happy?"
But politics, religion and emotion are 1 thing. We rapidly learn the broader context of this event.
Once that day another pilgrimage takes place in Krzeszów and its organizers are amazed that there will be individual else too them at the same hour.
Two that surprise is not hidden by the parish priest himself, due to the fact that he did not know that specified a thing was planned and about the second pilgrimage he learned from the poster on the Internet.
And 3 – it turns out that no 1 knows who truly is organizing this "National Thanksgiving Pilgrimage on the occasion of Karol Nawrocki's election as president of Poland" in Krzeszów...
But first things first. Because, if you don't want to, there's quite a few confusion.
Priest: We do not organize national pilgrimages
– We're not the organizers. Neither the parish, nor the sanctuary, nor the European Pearl of Baroque, nor the diocese. With me no 1 set a national pilgrimage. We were included in this without much agreement. This is all happening outside of us – says Fr Łukasz Langenfeld, parish priest of the parish of presumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The Virgin Mary in Krzeszów, curator of the diocesan sanctuaries of Our woman of Grace and St. Joseph, and the president of the European Foundation Pearl of Baroque.
About the national pilgrimage he learned from the poster he saw online.
It was posted by local media, and besides by PiS politicians, including MP Ireneusz Profit from Lower Silesia, but besides Przemysław Czarnek. Thanks to him, the information reached the another end of Poland. Lublin24.pl portal writes: "Przymysław Czarnek invites you to a pilgrimage. On the occasion of Karol Nawrocki's election as president".
I was surprised, very surprised. I don't know who made that poster. We did not proclaim a national pilgrimage. Any pilgrimage was not agreed with us in any way. We have only been ordered to give thanks for our country and for our elections. It is simply a bottom-up initiative. It was ordered by Mr. Profit's office. There was no mention of a pilgrimage in the conversation," emphasized the parish priest.
As he says, he refused to combine specified intent with politics, so he agreed to it without giving any names. After the poster appeared, he spoke to associate Profit. He heard that the MP himself did not know who made the poster and the national pilgrimage.
So who's behind it?
PiS MP: It's a mass, spontaneous move
In his conversation with Theme, Ireneusz Profit, MP PiS, admits that he does not know where this artwork came from and who initiated the national pilgrimage. “I heard somewhere she came out of the Warsaw environment,” she says. Sam is only the organizer of a journey to Krzeszów from Świdnica, where he has his post office. That's where he keeps records. He's assuming 2 coaches are coming.
– I admit it. I am liable for leaving Świdnica and I am its organizer. We are going to pray, thank God and Our woman of Grace for the gift of choosing Karol Nawrocki. quite a few people came to my office about this – he says in an interview with the subject.
Additionally, as he points out, Krzeszów is simply a very crucial place for Świdnica, due to the fact that there is buried Duke Bolko II Świdnicki, an crucial figure for the past of the city.
– This graphics is parallel actions. I know that it is shared by people on social media. I did, too. It's mass, spontaneous, movement. Many people invitation you to come to Krzeszów to thank in a thank-you prayer for the election of Karol Nawrocki as President," says the MP.
How many people can come from another parts of Poland?
Despite the name with the slogan "national" MP Profit does not perceive this as a mass nationwide event. Rather, he thinks it will have a local character. It besides ensures that the pilgrimage will be purely religious.
– Of course, it is the election of the president and it is simply a political event, but the pilgrimage has only a spiritual dimension. No political signs. That's not our intention. This will not be a political event," he stresses.
But it's not over. due to the fact that it turns out that on June 15, another pilgrimage to Krzeszów was already planned.
"We have heard of another pilgrimage, but we have nothing to do with it"
The pilgrimage is organized by the Management Board of the Copper Basin Region NSZZ "Solidarity" – cyclically, all year, they come here for years due to the visit of John Paul II to Legnica Poles in 1997. Around 150-300 people participate in the region.
They were amazed they wouldn't be alone this year. This is the first time this has happened. Together with the "national pilgrimage" they will meet at the same mass at 12 noon.
– We have heard of another pilgrimage, but we have nothing to do with it. We never organized a pilgrimage for purposes another than spiritual ones. The basilica is big, it can hold everyone. I don't think there'll be any confusion in the church. But there is simply a slight grievance that at the same time another pilgrimage was allowed, not asking us as the main organizer of the pilgrimage that we have been doing for years. No 1 has consulted us on this matter, as with the curator priest – says Wojciech Obremski from NSZZ "Solidarity".
He besides learned about the national pilgrimage from the poster on Facebook. – surely the main intention of the mass will be the pilgrimage of Solidarity – he believes.
MP Ireneus Profit answers that this is simply a complete coincidence. – That pilgrimage takes place all year. And the presidential election is all 5 years. How long do we gotta wait to go to Our woman to Krzeszów? all weekend something happens, we won't wait another week. And it just happened that it is June 15th – it reacts.
Priest: There will be no 2 pilgrimages that day
By the way, there is inactive a slight dilemma. Which is simply a pilgrimage and what isn't. At least in this case.
– On that day, 1 pilgrimage is written in our calendar – "Solidarity", which was agreed with us. Therefore, I did not take any another pilgrimage. At Mass at 12 noon, the second priest will give his intention for his homeland, which does not bite with the pilgrimage of Solidarity. But there will be no 2 pilgrimages that day," explains Fr Łukasz Langenfeld.
The PiS MP says that the participants themselves call it a pilgrimage.
– If individual is going on a pilgrimage to Jasna Góra, with his family, car, coach with the faithful from the parish, etc., he does not request to ask for approval or any church hierarchy or parish priest of this parish, due to the fact that it is not an organization church. It has a spiritual dimension. We're going to Mother's. As members of the Catholic Church, we have the right to go there and call ourselves a pilgrimage – he believes.
Anyway, the place in Krzeszów is ready. Residents in the conversation with us say they all fit in. But they besides say that if there were quite a few people coming, possibly the municipal authorities should get involved.
– If it were to be a larger group of people, then the logistics challenge would be rather large. Until now, the biggest organization in Krzeszów was the indulgence of August 15, in which most likely respective 1000 people attended. erstwhile a year, there's a traffic jam. Then there's cooperation with the commune, with the police, with the ambulance. Pilgrimage has never been a hindrance to us. There's plenty of room. The question is, on what scale will this be? We do not know that – 1 of the inhabitants wonders.
The priest says: – We are prepared for quite a few people all weekend. The restaurant works 7 days a week. The tour is besides available 7 days a week. Everything is available for both individual pilgrims and groups who visit us, besides unannounced.
