The Commitee for Dialogue with the Non-Christian Religions of the Polish Bishops Conference Religious Council: Statement

The Commitee for Dialogue with the Non-Christian Religions of the Polish Bishops Conference Religious Council looks with disapproval upon the lack of respect towards the believers and the religious signs, symbols and values shown by the proponents of absolutely unrestricted freedom of speech.

A fresh example of this is the publication of the prophet Muhammad's (Mohammad) caricatures in a Danish daily „Jyllands-Posten” and their reprinting by other European newspapers (see Wolność słowa nie jest prowokacją [The Freedom of Speech Is Not a Provocation]), Rzeczpospolita 4-5th February 2006, p. 5.

The freedom of speech which ridicules, hurting the other people's feelings, is a distorted freedom and showing solidarity with it means a badly conceived solidarity. This incident proves a school of social, inter-cultural and inter-religious dialogue which is of doubtful quality. By breaking the right of a believer, especially the right to a due respect, his dignity is assaulted and a „dictatorship of relativism” is introduced.

The Committee definitely rejects such behaviours and attitudes.

Bp Tadeusz Pikus

The Head of the Commitee for Dialogue with the Non-Christian Religions

Warsaw, 4th February 2006

opr. mg/mg