Polish Church launches scathing attack on media

Press, 22 September 1980, Page 6

Polish Church launches scathing attack on media

NZPA-Reuter Warsaw The Polish Roman Catholic Church marked its newly won access to the State radio yesterday by issuing a vitriolic attack on the media’s alleged immoral influence and tricky methods. A communique to be read in all churches yesterday charged the media in general and television in particular with a list of alleged sins ranging from propagating erroneous moral principles to bringing immorality into every Polish home.

“Children and youth are targets of dishonest propaganda from early childhood,” the communique said ■in an obvious reference to Communist ideology taught to Poland’s youth. “Eager for knowledge, children lack the sound judgment necessary to oppose tricky methods.” The Church was scheduled to begin broadcasting regular Sunday Mass over the State radio yesterday for the first time since the Communists took power 36 years ago.

The transmissions are one of the results of the wave of strikes that pushed the Government into important concessions, including the right to strike and to establish trade unions independent of Communist Party control. The majority of Poland’s 36 million people are practising Catholics and the enormous influence of the church was further bolstered when a Polish bishop, Karo! Wojtyla, was elected Pope in 1978.