Radio Maryja
Parent Lux Veritatis Foundation | | |
Website | radiomaryja |
---|
Radio Maryja
Programming and audience
Radio Maryja's programmes consist of broadcasts from the station's
Radio Maryja's audience is reputed to consist mostly of rural and elderly listeners.[3] The station says that it has "millions of listeners"; market research indicates approximately 1.2 million people daily. The station estimates that it is listened to by well over 10% of adults in Poland;[4] the most comprehensive market research by Radio Track[5] for the whole of Poland (June–July 2005) shows a 2.5% "share of listening time".[6]
The Economist has summarized that, "The church in Poland is divided between Vatican loyalists, who often oppose close involvement in politics, and energetic dissidents linked to Radio Maryja, a hardline broadcaster. This once had huge clout, articulating the feelings of Poles alienated by the country's brisk, materialist business culture and the decay in moral norms. But Radio Maryja's audience has shrunk in the past decade to no more than 2% of all current listeners."[7][8]
Ownership and finances
The station is owned by the Warsaw Province of the
In February 2011, the local district court of
Enterprises related to Radio Maryja include the television station Trwam ("I Persist");[9] a daily newspaper Nasz Dziennik ("Our Daily"); the Nasza Przyszłość ("Our Future") Foundation; the Lux Veritatis Foundation ("The Light of Truth Foundation"); and the Wyższa Szkoła Kultury Społecznej i Medialnej ("The College of Social and Media Culture") in Toruń.
Criticisms and controversies
Radio Maryja sparked many controversies and is frequently being criticized both in Poland and abroad.[16][17][18] Bishop Tadeusz Pieronek, the former secretary general of the Episcopate of Poland, said that Radio Maryja is "a real and growing problem", adding that the station "offers a reduced view on Christianity" that is "extremely compromising and shameful, sick and dangerous."[19]
Reaction from religious institutions
The
In 2006, the
The Polish bishops remain divided over Radio Maryja, given its considerable influence among its primary audience of the elderly rural poor.[27] While some bishops have criticized Radio Maryja for spreading opinions incompatible with the official teaching of the Catholic Church,[28] others voice support for the station.[29][30] Critics[who?] say that the Polish bishops have been divided over Radio Maryja for a long time.[22][19][31] As an alternative, there exist local radio stations broadcasting on FM in many dioceses of Poland ["Katolickie Radio ..."] with support of their bishops. About 20 stations connected themselves in 2013 to an independent network.[32]
Allegations of antisemitism
According to the
In January 2000, Radio Maryja aired an interview between Ryszard Bender, a historian from the
In April 2006, well-known Polish essayist Stanisław Michalkiewicz – a major personality on Telewizja Trwam – was reported in Gazeta Wyborcza as stating that "men from Judea ... are trying to surprise us from behind," and referring to the World Jewish Congress as "a main firm in the Holocaust Industry".[23][41]
In July 2007, over 700[42] Polish Catholic intellectuals, journalists, priests and activists signed a public letter of protest condemning Radio Maryja's anti-Semitic remarks.[43][44] Poland's Media Ethics Council referred to the station's "weakly documented accusations" against Jews as "primitive anti-Semitism"[23] and condemned Radio Maryja.[45]
According to a U.S. State Department report from 2008, "Radio Maryja is one of Europe’s most blatantly anti-Semitic media venues."[46] A report of the Council of Europe stated that Radio Maryja has been "openly inciting to antisemitism for several years."[47]
In 2011 the Polish Broadcasting Authority Commission examined two programs on Radio Maryja and reprimanded the station for its antisemitic statements and "nationalistic racism".[48] The Simon Wiesenthal Center initiated a petition condemning Radio Maryja's alleged anti-Semitic statements.[49][50]
In January 2017, a report published by the Anti-Defamation League in the U.S. accused Radio Maryja of "25 years of anti-Semitism".[51]
In 2017, Rydzyk – with the help of the head of the From The Depths foundation Jonny Daniels – invited a group of Israeli politicians, including
The visit of the Israeli delegation came under strong attack by some commentators, notably in the Israeli media, who accused the members of the delegation of turning a blind eye to Radio Maryja's and its director's long history of antisemitism.[53]
Involvement in politics
Separation of church and state in the history of the Catholic Church |
---|
Radio Maryja strongly opposed Poland joining the
In February 2006, Law and Justice signed a key agreement with two other political parties. To the fury of the Polish press, only Rydzyk and journalists from Telewizja Trwam – who actively supported Law and Justice during the election – were allowed in the room during the signing. The President of the Polish National Broadcasting Council, Elżbieta Kruk, stated that she had no authority to act in regard to these complaints, as she had been appointed by the Polish President Lech Kaczyński, a member of Law and Justice. Critics asserted that the government feared alienating Radio Maryja's dedicated audience, which makes up a significant fraction of Law and Justice's political base.[23]
In March 2006, Polish literary critic and television personality Kazimiera Szczuka satirized a girl who frequently recites prayers on Radio Maryja, not knowing that the girl used a wheelchair. Despite Szczuka's public apology, the Polish Broadcasting Council found her guilty of "insulting a disabled person and mocking her religion." The station on which she had appeared was fined the equivalent of $125,000;[23] according to the Polish press, the highest fine the Council had ever levied. The sole dissenting member of the Council, Wojciech Dziomdziora, speculated that Radio Maryja's ties with Law and Justice was "the real reason" for Szczuka's punishment, noting that Szczuka was made to pay the stiff fine while Radio Maryja was allowed to disparage other religions with impunity.[23]
Following international criticism in 2006, the Holy See’s Warsaw Nuncio, Archbishop Józef Kowalczyk, with respect to the stations's involvement in politics, called on the Polish bishops to ensure that the station respected "the appropriate autonomy of the public sphere". Poland's bishops’ conference fashioned an agreement whereby it would assume partial control of a new programme council at Radio Maryja.[65]
In September 2012, Radio Maryja and TV Trwam organized a "Poland awake!" demonstration with Law and Justice to protest the centrist government's purported attempt to silence both stations by not including them on the country's
Remarks about President Lech Kaczyński and wife
In 2007, Polish first lady
Archbishop Jozef Michalik said that no disciplinary action would be taken against the director of Radio Maryja: "You can't judge a person from just one statement, or on the basis of some lack of tact."[70]
In 2012, Radio Maryja, which has long
Supporters and their response to criticism
Enthusiasts of the station say that Radio Maryja is a target of the media which have waged a "smear campaign"[72] and that bigoted statements transmitted by the station are very rare and originate from its listeners rather than employees.[73] The former cabinet of Jarosław Kaczyński openly supported Radio Maryja. In December 2006, Kaczyński joined the 15th anniversary celebrations of Radio Maryja and praised the station as a source of "comfort and hope".[74][75]
Support for Radio Maryja is often voiced in "Nasz Dziennik", which is related to the station.
See also
References
- ^ Archived 22 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine[dead link]
- ^ "An attack on judicial independence reveals the government's ideology". The Economist. 2 January 2016. Archived from the original on 1 January 2016. Retrieved 2 January 2016.
- ^ "Mixed Reception for Polish Catholic Radio - washingtonpost.com". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on 30 October 2018. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
- ^ Walton, Nicholas (1 October 2002). "Polish Cardinal tackles radical radio". BBC News. Archived from the original on 20 April 2010. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ^ "::radio||track". Radiotrack.pl. Archived from the original on 6 October 2011. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
- ^ "Udziały stacji w czasie słuchania" (in Polish). radiotrack.pl. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
- ^ "God-bothered". The Economist. 15 March 2007.
- ^ Edward Lucas (15 March 2007). "Edward Lucas: Religion in the CEE region". Edwardlucas.blogspot.com. Archived from the original on 16 October 2010. Retrieved 30 November 2009.
- ^ a b "Controversial Polish Catholics enter TV". BBC News. 13 February 2003. Archived from the original on 10 January 2006. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ^ "IPN - review of the media". Archived from the original on 5 March 2012.
- ^ "Radio Maryja - Katolicki Głos w Twoim Domu". Archived from the original on 27 September 2007.
- OCLC 55228719.
- ^ "O. Tadeusz Rydzyk ukarany za nielegalną zbiórkę'". Wirtualna Polska. Archived from the original on 20 March 2013. Retrieved 3 July 2011.
- ^ "Sobecka cierpi za o. Rydzyka. Zapłaci grzywnę, bo... zapłaciła grzywnę?". Wprost. Archived from the original on 30 December 2013. Retrieved 1 September 2011.
- ^ "More mess for Radio Maryja". New Poland Express. 6 April 2012. Archived from the original on 30 December 2013.
- ^ "Poland: The controversy involving Radio Maryja, Vatican Insider". Archived from the original on 11 November 2012. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
- ^ "Resurgence in popularity for controversial Radio Maryja, Catholic Culture". Archived from the original on 20 May 2013. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
- ^ "Controversial Catholic Radio Maryja enters politics". Radio Polonia. 1 May 2007. Archived from the original on 24 December 2013.
- ^ a b Reiter, Natalia. "Divided church awaits Benedict in Catholic Poland". Reuters. Archived from the original on 13 July 2007. Retrieved 25 December 2006 – via WorldWide Religious News.
- ^ "Episcopate warns Radio Maryja on 'political broadcasting'". Polskie Radio. 1 January 2007. Archived from the original on 29 September 2007.
- ^ "Furore over Polish radio station, The Tablet". Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
- ^ a b "Poland's Primate lambasts Radio Maryja". What the cardinals believe. Archived from the original on 13 January 2016. Retrieved 10 November 2015.
- ^ a b c d e f "LETTER FROM POLAND; Differing Treatment of Religious Slurs Raises an Old Issue". The New York Times. 3 May 2006. Archived from the original on 13 January 2016.
- ^ "Vatican warns Polish radio station, The Tablet". Archived from the original on 5 August 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
- ^ "Culture e fede - Cultures et foi - Cultures and Faith - Culturas y fe - 1/2000 - Plenaria 2000 (2)". Archived from the original on 3 June 2007. Retrieved 7 January 2007.
- ^ "Polish Populists: Papal Reprimand for Catholic Radio". Spiegel. 2006. Archived from the original on 13 November 2012.
- ^ "Polish Cardinal condemns priest accused of anti-Semitism on radio". Voice of America. 5 September 2007. Archived from the original on 8 July 2008.
- ^ "Warsaw Voice - Spirit of the Radio". 24 January 2004. Archived from the original on 24 January 2004.
- ^ "Poland's Radio Maryja Known For Its Bigotry, and Its Influence". The Jewish Daily Forward. 2010. Archived from the original on 25 December 2012.
- ^ "Cardinal calls for sacking of radio priest". The Tablet. 2007. Archived from the original on 5 May 2013. Retrieved 25 May 2019.
- ^ "God Ain't a DJ". The Warsaw Voice. 12 April 2006. Archived from the original on 25 May 2006.
- ^ "Lista Stacji | radiokatolickie.pl" (in Polish). Retrieved 17 January 2024.
- ^ "Ojciec Rydzyk i Radio Maryja - Raporty - Kraj - Gazeta.pl". Archived from the original on 28 May 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2007.
- ^ "Kto niszczy polski Kościół (Who is destroying the Polish Church), Tygodnik Powszechny". Archived from the original on 2 March 2013. Retrieved 28 April 2013.
- ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 24 December 2013. Retrieved 21 December 2013.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) - ^ "Antisemitism And Racism". Archived from the original on 5 January 2006.
- ^ a b Watt, Nicholas (5 June 2006). "Anti-semitism live". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ^ "Guilty of Holocaust Denial". Archived from the original on 10 May 2007.
- ^ "Kultura 2000/03(630)". Archived from the original on 12 July 2006.
- ^ "Stephen Roth Institute: Antisemitism And Racism". Tau.ac.il. Archived from the original on 26 September 2011. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
- ^ "Nieaktualny odnośnik do artykułu". Michalkiewicz.pl. Archived from the original on 3 October 2011. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
- ^ Associated, The (12 November 2010). "Hundreds in Poland condemn priest's words as anti-Semitic - Haaretz Daily Newspaper | Israel News". Haaretz.com. Archived from the original on 22 November 2008. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
- ^ "News Releases - Simon Wiesenthal Center". Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 4 August 2007.
- ^ "The signed letter" (in Polish). Archived from the original on 24 July 2007.
- ^ "Bishops take control of controversial radio station, The Tablet". Archived from the original on 6 October 2014. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
- ^ "Contemporary Global Anti-Semitism, a report provided to the United States Congress, U.S. Dept. of State" (PDF). 13 March 2008.
- ^ "Poland_CBC_3". Archived from the original on 25 February 2007.
- ^ "Accusations of antisemitism on Radio Maryja". CFCA. Archived from the original on 13 January 2016.
- ^ "Simon Wiesenthal Center". Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2007.
- ^ "Rabbi Marvin Hier talking about the "Jew-hating" Father Rydzyk". YouTube. Archived from the original on 18 April 2016.
- ^ "Radio Maryja: 25 Years of Anti-Semitism - ADL website". Archived from the original on 8 February 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
- ^ "Międzynarodowa Konferencja "Pamięć i Nadzieja", Toruń Udostępnij Zobacz także - Radio Maryja website, November 26, 2017". 26 November 2017. Archived from the original on 9 February 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
- ^ "Laurence Weinbaum - In Poland, an anti-Semite, a conman and a useful idiot - Times of Israel, December 4, 2017". Archived from the original on 8 February 2018. Retrieved 8 February 2018.
- ^ "Poland: Democracy and the Challenge of Extremism". Archived from the original on 16 February 2007.
- ^ "Polskie Radio dla zagranicy - Vatican orders Radio Maryja to 'drop the politics'". Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 26 August 2007.
- ^ "Warsaw Voice - Wałęsa at War".
- ^ "Bishop Attacks PiS". Newzar. 2 September 2010. Archived from the original on 3 October 2013.
- ^ "Open Society Foundations". www.opensocietyfoundations.org. Retrieved 2 March 2020.
- ^ "Poland's Radio Maryja Known for its Bigotry, and its Influence". 6 February 2010. Archived from the original on 25 December 2012. Retrieved 20 November 2012.
- ^ "Europe and Central Asia: Summary of Amnesty International's Concerns in the Region: July - December 2006". April 2007. Archived from the original on 22 November 2018. Retrieved 21 November 2018.
- ^ "Polish leader backs death penalty". BBC News. 28 July 2006. Archived from the original on 10 June 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
- ^ "Andreas Gross". Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 18 May 2013.
- ^ "Lech Kaczynski: Polish President and co-founder of the Law and Justice Party". The Independent. London. 13 April 2010. Archived from the original on 25 September 2015. Retrieved 10 September 2017.
- ^ "Declaration of the Holy See to the First World Congress on the Death Penalty". Archived from the original on 4 January 2007. Retrieved 3 January 2007.
- ^ "Bishops take control of controversial radio station, The Tablet". Archived from the original on 19 August 2012. Retrieved 11 May 2013.
- ^ "Biskup Piotr Jarecki wystąpił przeciwko PiS i TV Trwam]". Dziennik (in Polish). 25 October 2012. Archived from the original on 28 October 2012.
- ^ Puhl, Jan (19 March 2007). "Poland's Balancing Act: The Left Wing, the Far Right and the Kaczynskis - International - SPIEGEL ONLINE - News". Der Spiegel. Archived from the original on 18 October 2007. Retrieved 13 April 2007.
- ^ "Published 8 July 2007, text and sound in Polish". 8 July 2007. Archived from the original on 12 July 2007. Retrieved 21 July 2007.
- ^ "Stir over priest's 'anti-Semitic remarks'". BBC News. 13 July 2007. Archived from the original on 20 April 2010. Retrieved 22 May 2010.
- ^ "Rydzyk escapes censure from bishops, The Tablet". Archived from the original on 6 June 2015. Retrieved 10 May 2013.
- ^ "Ekspert ojca Rydzyka: Smoleńsk to akt masonów!". Fakt.pl. 27 August 2012. Archived from the original on 31 August 2012.
- ^ "Radio Maryja as the target of the media". Sunday - Catholic Magazine, "Niedziela" 17/2006. Archived from the original on 6 October 2014.
- ^ "Sunday - Catholic Magazine". Archived from the original on 29 September 2007. Retrieved 28 July 2007.
- ^ Gera, Vanessa (7 December 2006). "Poland PM Praises Catholic Radio Station". Washingtonpost.com. Archived from the original on 26 October 2012. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
- ^ "Search - Global Edition - The New York Times". International Herald Tribune. 29 March 2009. Retrieved 3 October 2011.
External links
- Radio Maryja official web site
- Radio Maryja on Facebook official Facebook page
- The College of Social and Media Culture University founded by Fr Rydzyk
- Radio Netherlands feature on controversial European radio stations including Radio Maryja
- Tel Aviv University Report from the Stephen Roth institute for the study of contemporary Racism and Antisemitism
- Radio nasty: Anti-Semitic radio in trouble, The Economist, 12 April 2006
- Richard Bernstein: Differing Treatment of Religious Slurs Raises an Old Issue, The New York Times, 3 May 2006.
- Poland 2006 - Hot Topics: Radio Maryja
- Radio Maryja - list of quotations (in Polish)
- article "A different World: The Jews as Seen by Radio Maryja" by Rafał Maszkowski, in: Kwartalnik Historii Zydow (Jewish History Quarterly), 04/2006, pp. 669–687 in Polish, on the antisemitism in Radio Maryja