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Last Updated: Friday, 13 July 2007,
21:16 GMT 22:16 UK

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Stir over priest's 'anti-Semitic remarks'

The BBC's Adam Easton reports on the growing row over alleged
anti-Semitic remarks made by the controversial head of a religious
radio station in Poland.

Fr Rydzyk said tapes of his alleged comments
have been doctored

Father
Tadeusz Rydzyk, 62, allegedly called the Polish president, Lech
Kaczynski, a "swindler" who had bowed to pressure from the Jewish
lobby to compensate people for property lost during and after World
War II.

The comments came to light last week after the weekly magazine,
Wprost, published excerpts and subsequently a tape, from a private
lecture it said the priest gave to students at his media centre in
Torun, northern Poland.

In it, Fr Rydzyk, reportedly criticises Mr Kaczynski for his
subservience to the Jewish lobby.

"You know that it's about giving $65bn," to the Jews, he
allegedly said. "They will come to you and say 'give me your coat.
Take off your pants. Give me your shoes'," the magazine reported.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center - an international Jewish human
rights organisation - strongly rebuked the comments.

"This is outrageous, a [Nazi propaganda minister] Josef Goebbels
in a collar," said Rabbi Marvin Hier of the Center.

Israel's ambassador to Poland, David Peleg, said Fr Rydzyk's
comments were damaging Polish-Israeli relations.

"The tapes that have come to light are evidence that Rydzyk and
his institutions are anti-Semitic and something must be done in the
name of good Polish-Israeli relations," he said in an interview with
Poland's Gazeta Wyborcza newspaper.

Influential

Fr Rydzyk, a priest from the Redemptorist order, has regularly
courted controversy since he launched Radio Maryja in 1991.

With a blend of chat, music and religious services, the station
styles itself as the "Catholic Voice in Your Home" and attracts many
listeners in rural and poorer areas.

I... expected the Polish government and
president would have reacted at once in a decisive way to
Rydzyk's anti-Semitism

David Peleg
Israeli ambassador to
Poland

But
critics say it promotes xenophobic, ultra-Catholic, and at times,
anti-Semitic views.

Fr Rydzyk has since gone on to create something of a media
empire, including the Trwam television station, the newspaper Nasz
Dziennik, and a journalism college in his headquarters in Torun.

Figures suggest Radio Maryja is steadily losing listeners with
the station now attracting just over a million people or around two
per cent of the daily audience.

But Fr Rydzyk's political influence has never been higher. In
2005, he urged his listeners to vote for the Law and Justice party,
headed by Mr Kaczynski's twin brother, Jaroslaw.

The party won the elections and subsequently its members have
become regular guests on both the radio and TV stations.

Last weekend, for the first time ever, a prime minister appeared
at Radio Maryja's annual pilgrimage.

Addressing the crowd of around 150,000 people, Jaroslaw Kaczynski
told them: "Here is Poland."

A day later, the magazine, Wprost, published its story.

Apart from the alleged anti-Semitic remarks, it also claimed Fr
Rydzyk called President Kaczynski's wife a "witch" for her supposed
support of limited abortion rights.

"You witch! I'll let you have it. If you want to kill people, do
it to yourself first," he reportedly said.

Leaders reticent

Fr Rydzyk has suggested the tapes were doctored and called the
story "fictitious".

The magazine says the authenticity of the tapes is beyond doubt.

Poland's Senate Speaker, Bogdan Borusewicz, has also been quoted
as saying he believes the tapes to be genuine.

Despite the alleged slur, both Lech and Jaroslaw Kaczynski have
refused to condemn the priest.

If the tape is verified as being Fr Rydzyk, then he should
apologise, they said.

Many commentators here believe the twins may be reluctant to move
against him.

The priest has the ability to carry perhaps more than a million
votes to their side come new elections.

However, Mr Peleg is hopeful action will be taken.

"I also expected the Polish government and president would have
reacted at once in a decisive way to Rydzyk's anti-Semitism. And
although a few days have passed, I think this reaction will be
forthcoming," he told Gazeta Wyborcza.

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SEE ALSO

Polish priest
faces removal call
11 Jul 07 |
Europe

Polish radio
'sorry for offence'
13 Apr 06 |
Europe

Poland
investigates Catholic radio
30 Nov
02 |  Europe

Polish Cardinal
tackles radical radio
01 Oct 02 |
Europe

RELATED INTERNET LINKS

Radio Maryja

Polish president

Polish prime
minister

Simon
Wiesenthal Centre

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