Jerzy Aleksander Popieà Âuszko ( born Alfons Popieà Âuszko; 14 September 1947 – 19 October 1984) was a Polish Roman Catholic priest who became associated with the opposition Solidarity trade union in communist Poland. He was murdered in 1984 by three agents of the Security Service, who were shortly thereafter tried and convicted of the murder.
Father Jerzy has been recognized as a martyr by the Roman Catholic Church and was beatified on 6 June 2010 by Cardinal Angelo Amato on behalf of Pope Benedict XVI. An alleged miracle attributed to his intercession, which could lead to his canonization, is now under investigation.
Alfons was born on 14 September 1947 in Okopy, near Suchowola. After finishing school, he attended the priests' seminary at Warsaw. In 1966âÂÂ1968, he served his army duties in a special force in Bartoszyce, aimed at keeping young men from becoming priests. This treatment had no effect on Alfons's beliefs, as, after finishing his army service, he continued his studies; however, the repeated punishments for his resistance affected his health for the rest of his life. Alfons, with seminary superiors' permission, changed his name from Alfons to Jerzy because the word "alfons" was used to describe a person (especially a man) who deals with prostitution, giving it a negative connotation in Warsaw. Living in the multicultural Podlasie region, the Popieà Âuszko family is sometimes perceived today as Belarusian; it is pointed out that during the first years of his life, the future priest communicated in a Belarusian dialect referred to as simple language.
Father Jerzy was ordained a priest by Cardinal Stefan Wyszyà Âski in May 1972. As a young priest he first served in Zàbki near Warsaw in 1972âÂÂ1975. Afterwards, he served in parishes in Warsaw, which consisted of the common people as well as students. In 1981, Father Jerzy joined the workers, taking part with strikers in the Warsaw Steelworks. Thereafter he was associated with workers and trade unionists from the Solidarity movement who opposed the communist regime in Poland.
He was a staunch opponent of the communist regime and, in his sermons, interwove spiritual exhortations with political messages, criticizing the government, expressing solidarity with the interned and motivating people to protest. During the period of martial law, the Catholic Church was the only force that could voice protest comparatively openly, with the regular celebration of Mass presenting opportunities for public gatherings in churches.
Father Jerzy's sermons were routinely broadcast by Radio Free Europe, and thus became known throughout Poland for their uncompromising stance against the regime.
Father Jerzy had a dog named Tajniak.
Invited by the Pastoral Care of the Working People (), Father Jerzy arrived in Bydgoszcz on 19 October 1984. At 18:00, he celebrated Holy Mass at the Church of the Holy Polish Brothers Martyrs. A car accident had been set up to kill Father Jerzy on 13 October 1984 but he evaded it. The alternative plan was to kidnap him; it was carried out on 19 October 1984. Father Jerzy was beaten to death by three Security Police officers: Captain Grzegorz Piotrowski, Leszek PÃÂkala, and Waldemar Chmielewski. They pretended to have problems with their car and flagged down Father Jerzy's car for help. Father Jerzy was severely beaten, tied up and put in the trunk of the car. The officers bound a stone to his feet and dropped him into the Vistula Water Reservoir near Wà Âocà Âawek from where his body was recovered on 30 October 1984. A day after the discovery, President Ronald Reagan acknowledged that Polish people lamented as they were aware of Father Jerzy's passing. Reagan stated that Father Jerzy "was a champion of Christian values and a courageous spokesman for the cause of liberty."
News of the political murder caused an uproar throughout Poland, and the murderers and one of their superiors, Colonel Adam Pietruszka, were convicted of the crime. A huge crowd estimated to be between 600,000 to 1million, including Lech Waà ÂÃÂsa, attended his funeral on 3 November 1984. The murder was widely used in political propaganda of the Polish opposition in the late 1980s. Father Jerzy's murderers â Captain Grzegorz Piotrowski, Leszek PÃÂkala, Waldemar Chmielewski and Colonel Adam Pietruszka, responsible for giving the order to kill â received prison sentences. Father Jerzy was posthumously awarded the Order of the White Eagle, Poland's highest decoration, in 2009. He is buried in St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, Warsaw, where millions of visitors paid tribute, including famous politicians like U.S. Vice President George Bush in September 1987.
Noted Polish composer Andrzej Panufnik composed his Bassoon Concerto (1985) in memory of Father Jerzy. The work is inspired by Father Jerzy's work and death.
To Kill a Priest (1988) is a movie directed by Agnieszka Holland and starring Christopher Lambert as a character based on Father Jerzy.
A track entitled "Homily to Popieà Âuszko" is featured on the B-side to the album Flajelata (1986) by Muslimgauze. The entire B-side of that album is dedicated to all dissidents from the Soviet Union.
A transcript of the trial of Father Jerzy's murderers was used in producing a play, Ronald Harwood's documentary drama The Deliberate Death of a Polish Priest. It was premiered at the Almeida Theatre in October 1985.
A movie, ', documenting the life and death of Father Jerzy, was released in Poland in February 2009. Another film, ', was produced by Paul G. Hensler in 2013.
In the television show The Americans, the episode "Duty and Honor" in season one featured a fictional Polish resistance leader loosely based on Father Jerzy.
In their work Manufacturing Consent, Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky used Father Jerzy's murder and subsequent media coverage in the United States as a case study of their "propaganda model", in which it is compared and contrasted with the coverage of murders of ÃÂscar Romero and other Latin American clergy by US-backed forces.
There are numerous monuments to Father Jerzy in Poland, including the towns of Suchowola, where he attended and graduated high school, Bartoszyce, where he served his army duties, and Zàbki, where he first served as a priest. The places of his kidnapping in Górsk and death in Wà Âocà Âawek are commemorated with monuments in the form of crosses. There is also a museum dedicated to him in Suchowola.
The first monument of Father Jerzy was created by Polish sculptor and dissident Marek Sobocià Âski, and was unveiled in 1986 in Mariaholm near Askim, Norway.
A monument to Father Jerzy in the form of a symbolic gravestone in the shape of a cross was erected by Chicago's Polish community in the garden of memory next to St. Hyacinth Basilica.
A monument to Father Jerzy in the form of a bust bearing his likeness with a chain wrapped about his neck was erected on the property of Saint Hedwig Catholic Church in Trenton, New Jersey.
A pocket park across from McCarren Park on the Williamsburg-Greenpoint border in Brooklyn, New York, a historically Polish neighborhood, is named for Father Jerzy and features a stone bust bearing his likeness.
Popieluszko Court in Hartford, Connecticut, was named in his memory. The SS. Cyril & Methodius Church is located on this street, serving as an important cornerstone for the area's Catholic Polish-American community. The street intersects with Charter Oak Boulevard, with the main entrance to the parking lot of the Polish National Home of Hartford across the street at the end of Popieluszko Court.
A two-part monument has been installed in New Britain's Walnut Hill Park consisting of an inscribed stone plaque near an abstract sculpture of an eternal flame.
The stone is inscribed with the Polish Title Zà Âo Dobrem ZwyciÃÂà ¼aj: "This human rights monument of common fieldstone and steel is built in memory of Father Jerzy Popieluszko who gave his life to God and to the goals of Solidarnoà Âàâ human rights, justice, peace and freedom for Poland and for all mankind. May this eternal flame of liberty and the memory of his courage and sacrifice burn forever in the hearts of all freedom-loving people. 1947 Good shall vanquish evil 1984"
The abstract sculpture of the eternal flame was created by Henry Chotkowski and dedicated on June 16, 1989. An aluminum plaque on the stone wall surrounding the sculpture explains the significance of the sculpture.
The rock that was used to kill Father Jerzy was placed in the San Bartolomeo all'Isola in Rome as a relic of a 20th-century martyr, part of the memorial to 20thâ and 21stâÂÂcentury martyrs.
There are two monuments commemorating Father Jerzy in Budapest, Hungary. In 2017, a monument containing Father Jerzy's motto "Overcome evil with good" written in Polish and in Hungarian was unveiled in the Csepel district of the Hungarian capital. In Csepel, there is also a street named after Father Jerzy and a belfry in his honor. Meanwhile, in 2016 in the ÃÂbuda-Békásmegyer district of Budapest there is a square named after Father Jerzy and a monument consisting of stones that make up a rosary featuring quotes by Father Jerzy.
There is also a monument in the French city of Béziers.
The tomb of Father Jerzy was designed by Jerzy Kalina, located in Warsaw. Father Jerzy was to be buried in the Powàzki Cemetery. However, the parish priest of St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, Warsaw, Fr. Teofil Bogucki, the faithful and numerous friends of the murdered chaplain asked Primate Józef Glemp to bury Father Jerzy in the church. It is located in the grounds of St. Stanislaus Kostka Church at 2 Stanisà Âaw Hozjusz Street in the à »oliborz district of Warsaw. The tomb is located under a large tree, near the eastern corner of the fenced-in area of the church.
The tomb has the shape of a burial mound with a cross-shaped granite slab on top. In the immediate vicinity of the grave, on one of the trees, there is a crucifix created by Gustaw Zemà Âa. The grave is surrounded by a rosary of cobblestones arranged in the shape of Polish borders. The link is in the form of a crowned eagle with Our Lady of CzÃÂstochowa on its breast.
The memorial grave was built in 1986 on the site of a wooden cross. The cross was already surrounded by a rosary of fieldstones arranged in the shape of Poland's borders. Since 1984 the shrine and the tomb of the priest became a place of pilgrimage. On 14 June 1987, Pope John Paul II visited the church. On 19 October 2004, on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of Father Jerzy's death, a solemn mass was held in St. Stanislaw Kostka, attended by more than 20,000 faithful. At the same time, a museum dedicated to Father Jerzy was opened in the basement of the church.
In April 2010, Father Jerzy's relics were exhumed and canonically discerned (this was a requirement of canon law). The grave was then renovated, and the body of the martyr was placed in the same place in a new coffin. It is estimated that till 2009 the site was visited by about 18 million people. Among those who prayed at the tomb were:
The Roman Catholic Church started the process of his beatification with the declaration of nihil obstat (nothing against) on 15 March 1996 and held a diocesan process from 8 February 1997 to 8 February 2001. This conferred upon him the title of Servant of God. The beatification portrait of Father Jerzy was painted by Zbigniew Kotyà Âà Âo as he won a competition prior to Father Jerzy's beatification.
In October 1994, 10th anniversary after the death of Father Jerzy, during the private worship, extensive materials were handed over to cardinal Józef Glemp. Then, the Commission for the Preparation of the Beatification Process of Jerzy Popieà Âuszko was established and coined by Cardinal Józef, gathering all the documents related to Father Jerzy's life and martyrdom that include secular documents, manuscripts of Father Jerzy's homilies, his letters, recordings of his public appearances, and the files of the Toruà  trial along with the prosecutor's files from the investigation against him.
On 3 May 2001, the beatification process began as proven by the Congregation for the Causes of Saints that his death was voluntary and simultaneous that he defended Catholic values. In 2006, 5 years later, Father Tomasz Kaczmarek, a postulator for the beatification, announced the completion of the work on the 1,157-page document that is titled "Position on Matyrdom," or positio, along with the detailed evidence that had to be gathered not only to prove Father Jerzy's death as a martyr, but also rather that he accepted death reconciled with Christ. However, the evidence required the opinions of clergy, psychologists, doctors, and others. Father Tomasz also stated that the date of Father Jerzy's death was speculated. The speculation not only resulted in thorough investigation but the beatification was not halted or Father Jerzy's death was declared a "martyr's death." Then two years later, the positio was submitted to the Congregation for the Causes of Saints and on 19 December 2009 it was announced that Pope Benedict XVI had approved the decree for the beatification of Father Jerzy.
On 30 May 2010 in Warsaw, Polish bishops appealed for the beatification that would take place on 6 June that year. According to the pastoral letter that was read by bishops, the beatification ceremony would become a "great celebration for our homeland" and the bishops wrote that they "thank Divine Providence for [their] freedom and for those who led us towards it," as well as the strikes in Poland that lead to the foundation of the Solidarity in 1980, also known as the August Agreements. In addition to being thankful for Solidarity's foundation, Father Jerzy's mentor were also honored in the tribute that lead to the beatification, including Cardinal Stefan Wyszyà Âski and Pope John Paul II, along with his quote on the 10th anniversary of Father Jerzy's death, quoted: "The priest-martyr will forever remain in the memory of our nation as a fearless defender of truth, justice, freedom and human dignity." The bishops gave were also thankful for the gift of life, vocation, and ministry of Father Jerzy. The August Agreements was recalled that one of the bishops was sent by Cardinal Stefan to celebrate the Holy Mass for striking steelworks in Warsaw. Then, the bishops also recalled the Holy Masses for the Homeland celebrated by Father Jerzy following the martial law imposition in Poland. According to the bishops, Father Jerzy's sermons were "calm and objective." Along with defending human dignity and the nation's, Father Jerzy "called for witness in a difficult and painful way," and he also was a "brother to everyone," wanted to be close to anyone, captivated with his simplicity and warmth while he simultaneously administered the holy sacraments and attended the trials of political prisoners, as well as organizing care for their families and helping them to overcome fear. Father Jerzy believed the word of Christ that knowing the truth will set anyone free. In addition to the truth setting anyone free, Father Jerzy also affirmed that one must live the truth in order to remain "a spiritually free person" and bear witness, which truth is unchangeable. The beatification formula was delivered in Latin by Archbishop Angelo, then it was read in Polish by Cardinal Kazimierz Nycz.
Seven days later that morning, roughly 150,000 people gathered at the Pià Âsudski Square, as well as accumulating 120 bishops, 1,300 priests, and Polish prime minister Donald Tusk and Jerzy Buzek. Pope Benedict XVI also was represented by the prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints Angelo Amato. During the beatification ceremony, Archbishop Angelo signified that the message of Father Jerzy as a martyr is to "overcome evil with good," during the time when Father Jerzy and the Church faced persecutions, stating that Father Jerzy was faithful as he defended his dignity as a servant of Christ and the Church, demanded "freedom of conscience for the citizen and the priest," including truth, justice, and love, and suggested that "the tears of all Polish mothers would not be enough to soothe such pain and suffering" while addressing to his mother Marianna Popieà Âuszko. Father Jerzy was then beatified by Archbishop Angelo. His mother Marianna was present at the event.
More than 100,000 people attended the open-air Mass in the Polish capital Warsaw to beatify Father Jerzy, as it was concelebrated by the Prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, the Polish Episcopate, and international hierarchs including Cardinal William Levada, a prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Since Archbishop Angelo read Pope Benedict XVI's Apostolic Letter in Later, Archbishop Angelo also gave the homily as he spoke of Father Jerzy's courage and truth. Some suggest that Father Jerzy was a "dangerous criminal, but he was a priest who simply defended the Gospel.
After Mass, Father Jerzy's relics were carried to the Temple of Divine Providence as it took 12 kilometers. Then, the relics were placed in the Pantheon of Great Poles. Poland Post issued a set of stamps on that same day to mark the beatification.
In 2012, François Audelan, a 56-year-old Frenchman suffered from a rare form of leukemia. Since he suffered from leukemia, Audelan was unable to walk without assistance and eat. When doctors were unable to cure leukemia Audelan suffered from, a priest named Bernard Brien, whom he previously visited Father Jerzy's grave and an unwavering supporter of Father Jerzy, was summoned and invited to visit Audelan. Father Bernard then administered the Sacrament to Audelan who fell ill. Following the visitation of Father Bernard to Audelan, Audelan was miraculously healed of leukemia as the detailed tests were performed. Since there were no traces of leukemia being found, Audelan was discharged and returned home to his family as his full recovery was confirmed back in 7 December that year. In October 2013, Cardinal Kazimierz Nycz â the Archbishop of Warsaw, the diocese where Father Jerzy was killed â announced that a miracle attributed to the intercession of the Polish priest has been identified and confirmed in France. Thus Cardinal Nycz predicts that Father Jerzy will likely be canonized soon, based on the credibility of the case presented. A miracle was investigated in a diocesan process in France from 20 September 2014 until 14 September 2015 and the results of that investigation turned over to the Vatican for assessment.