WARSAW, Poland--In one of its sharpest challenges on record, the leaders of Poland's Roman Catholic Church yesterday called for the abolition of censorship in this Communist nation, calling it a "weapon of totalitarian regimes."
The statement, contained in a pastoral letter signed by all Polish bishops, was read from the church pulpits yesterday throughout the country.
The leaders also called for the government to allow the broadcasting of religious programs and asked the faithful to listen to Vatican Radio.
"The social life of a nation needs openness and free public opinion," the letter, whose signers included Polish primate Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski and Cardinal Carol Wojtyla, read.
"People who read only censored news do not know the truth and therefore feel free from responsibility for moral, social and economic life," the letter continued.
The churchmen also deplored the "harrassment of those who have expressed their views on public life in Poland.
Poland remains one of Europe's most religious countries, and its church is among the most influential institutions in the nation. An estimated 90 per cent of Poland's 35 million people are Roman Catholics.
Read more in News
Solving the Poverty ProblemRecommended Articles
-
Analysts Express Dismay, PessimismU.S. and Harvard analysts reacted with dismay and pessimism to reports early this morning that Poland's Communist leaders had declared
-
The Sad Price Of FreedomT HE DECISION Saturday of Poland premier Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski to impose martial law and clamp down on the free
-
Polish Residents Used to Grim News from WarsawFor many, the weekend news of the imposition of martial law in Poland suggested an increased possibility of bloody, perhaps
-
Long-Expected CrackdownSixteen months ago, when the Polish labor union Solidarity was born, many Western experts and Polish dissidents believed a confrontation
-
Dangers the Poles Are Prepared For A Dissident's Explanation of Polish ResistanceSeven months ago, while packing my suitcases and boarding a plane from Warsaw to New York, I did not suspect
-
ROAMING THE REAL WORLD:T HE CZECH author Milan Kundera once wrote that the struggle of man against power is the struggle of memory
