On December 19, the National Prosecutor's Office ordered a raid on the Dominican Saint Stanisław monastery in Lublin in search of former minister Marcin Romanowski, who is currently under asylum in Hungary.
The Lawyers for Poland Association and Father Łukasz Wiśniewski, Provincial of the Polish Dominicans, informed about this scandalous situation.
Shockingly, the police took action in a situation where it was publicly announced that the services knew the actual whereabouts of Mr. Romanowski.
The 'Lawyers for Poland' (@PRAWNICYdlaPOL) issued a statement posted on X:
The Association of Lawyers for Poland expresses its utmost outrage at the brutal and unprecedented raid on the Dominican Monastery of St. Stanislaus in Lublin, carried out on December 19, 2024, by order of the National Prosecutor’s Office.
The entry of six masked police officers armed with pistols, cameras, and drones painted a scene more reminiscent of a totalitarian regime than the civilized Republic of Poland. Monastic cells were desecrated, interiors photographed, and the oppressive spectacle of circling drones lent the entire operation an almost grotesquely repressive character.
According to official documents, the shameful purpose of this operation was the alleged harboring of MP Marcin Romanowski, who was wanted under an arrest warrant. Yet, any reasonable person would ask: on what grounds? A search, as outlined in criminal procedure (Article 219 of the Criminal Procedure Code), requires justified suspicion of the individual’s presence in a given location. Meanwhile, as of December 19, pro-government media openly reported that Romanowski was abroad— in Spain or Hungary. What unfolded was not a lawful action but a farce.
This disgrace was not confined to domestic law. The authorities, wielding the machinery of the state like a merciless battering ram, violated Article 8(3) of the Concordat between the Holy See and the Republic of Poland. This agreement unequivocally guarantees the inviolability of places of worship, permitting any action within them only with ecclesiastical consent or in extraordinary circumstances threatening life, health, or property. Whose life, health, or property was endangered in this farcical operation? None of these prerequisites were met.
The raid was conducted under the aegis of the National Prosecutor’s Office, which has been overtaken by politician Adam Bodnar and his puppet prosecutors since January 2024. Rather than safeguarding the rule of law, they have plunged the institution into chaos and anarchy. Supreme Court rulings (Resolution I KZP 3/24) and Constitutional Tribunal judgments (Ruling SK 13/24) highlight the devastating violations in its functioning.
Let us not deceive ourselves—this operation had nothing to do with justice or legality. Its true purpose was to humiliate the clergy and escalate the political war against the Catholic Church. For years, the government has obsessively sought to "trim" Catholic influence in Poland, and now it has gone a step further with this symbolic assault on one of the bastions of spirituality.
The Association of Lawyers for Poland unequivocally condemns this disgraceful act and calls on the government to come to its senses. Every further instance of lawlessness distances us from the ranks of civilized nations and pushes Poland closer to the abyss of authoritarianism. We demand the immediate punishment of those responsible and the restoration of respect for the rule of law and ethical norms in state actions.
CC:
- Apostolic Nuncio to Poland, Archbishop Antonio Guido Filipazzi
- @Pontifex_pl
- @realDonaldTrump
- @SenVancePress
- @JDVance
Father Łukasz Wiśniewski, Provincial of the Polish Dominicans, sent the letter to Father Dariusz Wilk, Chairman of the Conference of Superiors of Men's Religious Orders in Poland. The content of the correspondence confirms the reports about the brutal entry of the Bodnarites into the Lublin monastery discussed by the Association of Lawyers for Poland.
The translation of the letter:
Reverend Father,
I would like to inform you that on December 19, 2024, at the request of the National Prosecutor's Office (I am enclosing a copy of the decision), our Monastery of St. Stanisław in Lublin was searched due to the suspicion that Mr. Marcin Romanowski was hiding there. A thorough search of the monastery building and the brothers' living quarters lasted approximately two hours and was carried out by six policemen wearing balaclavas. During the search, the police took photos of our monastery rooms, including the monastic cells. At the same time, police drones were flying over the monastery.
The case is surprising because none of the brothers from the Lublin Monastery know Mr. Romanowski and have never talked to him. Mr. Romanowski also has no connection with the Lublin Monastery. At the same time, when the search was carried out, the media reported that he was staying in Hungary, where he had been granted political asylum.
The search is unprecedented. What is shocking is the fact that the brothers were suspected of hiding a man wanted on an arrest warrant. It is also incomprehensible that the police took action in a situation where it was publicly announced that the services knew the actual whereabouts of Mr. Romanowski.
Therefore, after consulting with lawyers, I decided to appeal to the National Prosecutor's Office with a complaint about the actions taken. As a Province, we will also submit an application for access to the case files regarding the grounds for suspecting that Mr. Romanowski was hidden in the Lublin Monastery
I also informed about this incident: Fr. Archbishop Stanislaw Budzik - Metropolitan of Lublin, Fr. Archbishop Antonio Guido Filipazzi, Apostolic Nuncio to Poland and Fr. Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda SAC - Chairman of the Polish Episcopal Conference.
PN: I believe that this is a clear and purposeful violation of religious freedoms in a supposedly democratic country, which is a member of the, also supposedly democratic, European Union. We have a right to suspect that the EU is no longer democratic since they are working hard to impose censorship on speech on X and other platforms.
I hope the President of Poland takes this case to the Parliament, Sejm, and demands answers under the threat of dissolving both the Sejm and the government.
- Based on reporting by Polish media: Dorzeczy(.)pl, Niezalezna(.)pl, and Wpolityce(.)pl.
