Stephanus Primate Wyszyski – “anti-semita”, “racist” et “fascist”. A history of texts ex duplici manipulation “Ateneum Kapłańskie”

Abstract

Pieces of information concerning the alleged anti-Semitism, racism and fascism of Rev. Stanisław Wyszyński, who held the position of editor of a monthly periodical “Ateneum Kapłańskie” in the years 1932–1939, appear every now and again in the media. The latest wave of such information swept through internet portals and forums between 2012–2014, mostly due to activity of Janusz Palikot, a politician at the time, who wrote on his blog that “Primate of the Millennium, Wyszyński, when still an ordinary priest and theologist, was a proponent of Nazism and Hitler himself, which was clear from the articles he published”. Three months later seven quotations were posted on the forum.gazeta.pl website – quotations supposedly taken from Wyszyński’s articles, published in ‘‘Ateneum Kapłańskie”, with the purpose of proving the priest’s alleged anti-Semitic, racist and Nazi views. From that moment, the information took on a life of its own and began to appear on numerous forums, portals and in public television. In November 2013 in a TV program “Świat się kręci” actor Jacek Poniedziałek accused Primate Wyszyński of anti-Semitic and pro-eugenics statements. This manipulation is of dual nature. Firstly, the quotations (which were, at times, distorted) do not come from articles by Stefan Wyszyński. They were written by Rev. Józef Pastuszka and Rev. Paweł Tochowicz. The analysis of the actual source articles (including the quotations in their proper context) shows that the authors, while conducting a multifarious scientific analysis of racism, nationalism and politicism, criticized Hitler’s views from the catholic standpoint.