Learn from the Poles! - Again

 

Why the Catholic Univ. of Lublin (KUL)

Won't Award an Honorary Degree

to President Barroso

By Paweł P. Reszka

2009-06-19, ostatnia aktualizacja 2009-06-19 07:52

The president of the European Commission will not receive an honorary doctorate from the Catholic University of Lublin. Is the academy afraid the EU wants to force Poland to accept same-sex marriages?

On the 440th anniversary of the Union of Lublin, the KUL was to honour Mr Barroso as well as leaders of the countries that once made part of the

Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth - the presidents of Ukraine, Lithuania, Estonia, Poland, and an ex-Chairman of the Supreme Soviet of Belarus.

Gazeta was the first to report about the plans back in March. KUL spokesperson Barbara Górka confirmed them for Gazeta: 'The award for Mr Barroso is related to the official slogan of the celebrations, "From the Union of Lublin to the European Union."'

In the spring, preparations began at the KUL's Faculty of Law, Canonical Law and Administration for the awarding of the doctorate. Gazeta's sources suggested that the academy had already named internal reviewers. The process was being handled by the Faculty of Law, because Mr Barroso is a lawyer by education.

The faculty was to draw up an official recommendation, which was then to be reviewed by the Senate, which decides on honorary doctorates.

A special Senate meeting during which the decisions were made took place on 4 June. The guests are to receive their honorary degrees on 1 July. But not Mr Barroso. Why?

Father Prof Antoni Dębiński, dean of the Faculty of Law: 'I was informed by the KUL president, Father Prof Stanisław Wilk, that this doctorate wouldn't be awarded. We dropped the matter at that point. I didn't analyse the reasons.'

Ms Górka explains, 'We had received no official confirmation that Mr Barroso would be present on 1 July. Hence the change of the decision.'

Ms Górka adds that in charge of inviting the heads of state and diplomats was the Presidential Chancellery.

But, according to what Gazeta has learned, the president of the Commission hasn't been invited for different reasons. A KUL professor said, 'I think it was behind-the-scenes discussions among the academy's top brass. It was probably about the Lisbon Treaty and certain issues related thereto.'

What issues? Political scientist Prof Marek Pietraś notes that the Polish Episcopate has criticised certain provisions of the Charter of Fundamental Rights, an integral part of the Lisbon Treaty, which Mr Barroso deems his personal success.

'The Church, just like President Leh Kaczynski, criticised the fact that the Charter, a collection of man's fundamental rights, lacks a reference to God,' says Mr Pietraś. 'Other controversial issues included the lack of a clear-cut ban on human cloning and of a precise provision that marriage is a relationship between a man and a woman. This could have opened the way to same-sex marriages.'

A year ago, the alleged prospect of poalnd being potentially forced to accept same-sex marriages was mentioned by President Kaczyński in his famous address on the Treaty of Lisbon.

translated by Marcin Wawrzyńczak

See: http://wyborcza.pl/0,86871,4728582.html

_________________________________

God Bless KUL for demonstrating the "intestinal fortitude," or in plain English "guts," to do with President Barroso what Notre Dame University should have done with president Obama.

The crucial difference is that the administrators at KUL love the Church, whereas the Holy Cross Fathers in Indiana view Notre Dame from the standpoint of wealth and corporate power, and how that wealth and power can be used to subvert the Church.

Poland was once historically referred to as "alte murale Christianibus," or the "outer wall of Christendom." Today she may "be" Christendom in its entirety, at least in Europe.

Comments

[joanne]

Lithuania is also protecting marriage and shielding children from mandatory "tolerance".

http://www.lifesitenews.com/ldn/2009/jun/09061805.html

:)

[anthony]

I am liking poland more and more, its my new "thats where I want to live" example when I get tired of the crap here in the good ole U S of A

[Marcin]

Thanks for this post! I am very happy to hear this positive publicity for Catholic Poland, as a Catholic and a Polish citizen, and as an employee of the KUL. Congratulations, and many thanks for this excellent and very much needed weblog!