Polish Priest Beatified in Warsaw
Over one hundred thousand pilgrims travelled from across Poland to Warsaw last weekend to witness the beatification of Polish priest Jerzy Popieluszko nearly 30 years after his death.
Popieluszko was a charismatic man who motivated church-goers to protest against the ruling Communist government in his politically-fuelled sermons. He was also associated with the Solidarity movement, and, because his sermons were often broadcast over the radio, was widely popular across the country. However, in 1984 Communist secret police, obviously disapproving of his message and fearing his priest's power over the people, captured, beat, and murdered Popieluszko.
The mass was led by Archbishops Angelo Amato and Kazimierz Nycz, who red the act of beatification in Latin and in Polish. A feast day dedicated to Popieluszko wll be held on the anniversary of his death - October 19.
*Flood Update:
Warsaw saw several thunderstorms late last week, which resulted in some minor flooding in some parts of the city blocking traffic and metro systems. Rainfall was also a problem yet again in the Malopolska region, resulting in waters rising in the Vistula river reaching emergency levels in Krakow. The flood wave is now travelling north through central Poland.
The culmination is expected to reach Warsaw on Tuesday 8 June, and although it may reach the same kind of levels as we saw two weeks ago, the rise in flood waters is expected to last only a day. As before, the Miedzeszynski dike as well as several schools have been closed as a precaution for the time being.