Polish church apologizes after Mass held for far-right group

Source: Associated Press

Polish church apologizes after Mass held for far-right group

Updated 9:29 am, Wednesday, April 20, 2016

WARSAW, Poland (AP) — Catholic Church authorities in eastern Poland denounced nationalist views Wednesday and apologized after a radical extreme-right organization held a Mass in a regional cathedral.

Father Andrzej Debski, a spokesman for the church authorities in Bialystok, said the apology came after believers complained that a Mass was held in Bialystok Cathedral for the extreme-right National-Radical Camp, or ONR, celebrating its 82 years on April 16.

Founded in 1934, the ONR was built on Italian fascism and has promoted anti-Semitic ideas.

The Bialystok Curia "apologizes to all who feel hurt by the behavior of ONR members in Bialystok Cathedral," said a statement posted on its website. "The Curia assures that the church in Bialystok region is non-party and nationalism is alien to it."

Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/world/article/Polish-church-apologizes-for-hosting-nationalist-7259348.php