Polish Supreme Court rules against Kaja Godek in landmark case
Jakub Tyszkowski,28.03.2024 15:45The Supreme Court has ruled that putting up stickers with the image of the Virgin Mary of Czestochowa with a rainbow halo does not offend religious feelings. The women who were accused in the case have been acquitted. Kaja Godek and a priest from Plock, who were auxiliary prosecutors in the case, have expressed their disappointment with the decision.
The case pertains to events in 2019. Three activistsâElĆŒbieta PodleĆna, Anna Prus, and Joanna Gzyra-Iskandarâput up stickers around St. Dominicâs Church in PĆock featuring an image of Our Lady of CzÄstochowa adorned with a rainbow halo.
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This action was in response to the installation of the Holy Sepulchre, which bore decorations that targeted the LGBT+ community. The tomb was encircled by cardboard bearing inscriptions such as âgender,â âLGBT,â âdeviance,â âaggression,â ârejection of faith,â âcontempt,â and âhate speechâ.
The Rainbow Madonna does not take offence
The activists' action was met with a harsh reaction from conservative circles. The women were accused of offending religious feelings.
The District Court in Plock acquitted the women in March 2019, and the same court upheld this verdict on appeal. However, the case could still go to the Supreme Court. The auxiliary prosecutors, including the well-known anti-abortion activist Kaja Godek and the priest Tadeusz Ćebkowski, took up this possibility.
The prosecution disagreed with the acquittal, but after a request from Amnesty International, it withdrew its motion, which was made when Zbigniew Ziobro was the State Prosecutor.
Kaja Godek's defeat in Supreme Court
On Thursday, the Supreme Court made a ruling regarding the cassation appeals of Kaja Godek and a Plock priest against the verdict that acquitted three activists. The court found the appeals to be unfounded and dismissed them. Moreover, Godek and Lebkowski were ordered to pay the court costs.
Godek commented on the case on X: "On the threshold of the Triduum Sacrum 2024, the Polish state crucified the Mother of God and Her worshippers. The Supreme Court dismissed the cassation appeal in the case of desecrating the image of Our Lady of Czestochowa in Plock. The LGBT activists remained formally innocent. In addition, Fr. Lebkowski and I were ordered to pay the costs of the cassation proceedings (!). We will be charged for defending the Mother of God," wrote the activist.
The Supreme Courtâs decision shows that Catholics are discriminated against in Poland. The law is poorly constructed, the possibilities of interpretation are wide, and the kindness of the courts to homoactivists is apparent. We are being oppressed
"From the very beginning, Amnesty International and thousands of people around the world have called for their acquittal of the charge of offending religious feelings. Only for putting up an image of the Virgin Mary with a rainbow halo did the three human rights defenders face two years' imprisonment," reads Amnesty Internationalâs statement.
Source: Rzeczpospolita
