Papal politics

Tens of thousands of Poles travelled to Rome by plane, coach or even on foot for the canonisation of John Paul II on April 27th. They were joined by dozens of Polish politicians, including Bronisław Komorowski, the president. For Poland’s political parties, it was another chance to take a stand ahead of the elections to the European Parliament on May 25th. Jarosław Kaczyński’s conservative Law and Justice sent most of its MPs to Rome, organising a special train for them and their families, while the left reaffirmed its secular credentials by boycotting the occasion. The ruling Civic Platform took a moderate position by sending some MPs without actively courting religious voters.

After struggling to keep up with Civic Platform over the crisis in Ukraine, Law and Justice was back on familiar ground, focussing the campaign on domestic issues. Today’s Poland is not the one imagined by John Paul II, Mr Kaczyński said while touring the pope’s native region last week. “One could say that the Spirit should descend again and renew the face of the...Continue reading