A book on the Polish Church's involvement with the secret services

Poland has been eagerly awaiting the publication of Father Tadeusz Isakowicz-Zaleski's 600-page book "The Priests in the Face of the Secret Service". Yesterday the book finally went on sale. It documents how four clergymen who later became bishops cooperated with the Polish secret police, but also how two who are now cardinals refused to collaborate despite reprisals. According to Adam Szostkiewicz, the book is of major importance: "This book aroused great interest long before its publication - both because of the subject matter and because of its author. Many commentators regard Father Zaleski as the father of the lustration of the Church and his book as exemplary of how to write about this chapter of the church's post-war history. For others, including some priests and believers, the publication, although inevitable, could represent a painful and controversial lesson - a lesson that raises many doubts about both the method and the conclusions. Many regard the book as the beginning, not the end, of the church's problems with its image."

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