A controversial Polish priest reportedly bashed Jews over a
potential government compensation deal on confiscated property.
Tadeusz Rydzyk, a Roman Catholic priest and the owner of Radio Maryja, which has a history of
broadcasting anti-Semitic sentiments, is reported to have said in a
recording obtained by the Polish magazine Wprost: “You know what this is about:
Poland giving [the Jews] $65 billion. They will come to you and say,
‘Give me your coat! Take off your trousers! Give me your shoes!’ “
Poland has been struggling for a decade
to enact a compensation law for Poles who had property taken by the
Nazis and then the communists. Jews are expected to account for 20
percent of the claims.
Rydzyk has been sanctioned in the past by the
Vatican and the Polish Catholic Church for his behavior, which has included airing commentaries in which Jews were accused of conducting “Holocaust business.”
Nonetheless, Polish Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski was among
150,000 people who attended a Mass on Sunday in honor of Radio
Maryja’s 15th anniversary.
Kaczynski’s office has strongly
condemned Rydzyk’s reported comments.
