New Warsaw Archbishop Quits in Wake of Disclosures

WARSAW, Jan. 7 -- Warsaw's new archbishop abruptly resigned Sunday over disclosures that he had cooperated with Poland's communist-era secret police, stunning worshipers by yielding the archbishop's throne just minutes before he was to be formally installed.

To cries of "No, no!" and "Stay with us!" in and outside St. John's Cathedral, a despondent Stanislaw Wielgus read from a letter to Pope Benedict XVI in which he offered his resignation "after reflecting deeply and assessing my personal situation."

The Vatican said Wielgus's past actions had "gravely compromised his authority" as a top church official in the deeply Roman Catholic homeland of the late Pope John Paul II, adding that the 67-year-old priest was right to go "despite his humble and moving request for forgiveness."

But his withdrawal sparked an uproar among those gathered in the red-brick cathedral and crowded outside under umbrellas, most of whom had not heard the Polish church's announcement of the resignation a half-hour earlier.

In a sign of how the painful disclosures have divided believers, Wielgus's words also drew applause from the congregation -- including President Lech Kaczynski, whose conservative party has sought to purge Poland of the vestiges of communist influence and to strengthen traditional Catholic values.

John Paul's staunch opposition to communism is credited with inspiring the rise of Poland's pro-democracy Solidarity movement, which helped end communist rule in 1989.

But the country has grappled since his death with a string of disclosures about respected Catholic figures cooperating with the secret services. None has rattled Poles like the case of Wielgus, the highest-ranking church official found to have ties with the secret police.

The disclosure is particularly troubling to many because it shakes a widely held belief that the church acted as a courageous opponent of communism. Secret police agents not only spied on the church, but also brutally murdered a charismatic Warsaw priest tied to Solidarity, the Rev. Jerzy Popieluszko, in 1984.

While the Mass was to have marked Wielgus's official installation, he had been archbishop since taking his canonical vows for the post on Friday. He previously was bishop of Plock, but it was not immediately clear what future role Wielgus might have with the church.

Resignations of bishops or archbishops so early in their tenures are extremely rare in the Catholic Church. Most bishops forced to quit because of scandal have been in office for years.

After announcing his resignation, Wielgus removed his glasses and sat on a chair next to the throne that would have been his as archbishop. Cardinal Jozef Glemp took the top seat instead.

Glemp, Poland's top church leader, then delivered a homily defending Wielgus. He called him "God's servant" and warned of the dangers of passing judgment based on incomplete and flawed documents left behind by the communist authorities.

Throughout the homily, Wielgus looked down, his mouth twitching and eyes batting shut repeatedly.

Allegations that Wielgus was involved with the secret police were raised by a Polish weekly on Dec. 20. But the case flared into a crisis Friday when a church historical commission said it had found evidence that Wielgus cooperated with the communist authorities.

Wielgus initially denied that, but he acknowledged signing an agreement in 1978 promising to cooperate with the security force in exchange for permission to study in West Germany.

He insisted he did not inform on or try to hurt anyone, and he expressed remorse for both his contacts with the secret police and his failure to be forthcoming from the start.