Polish priest banned to enter Ukraine
Polish priest of the Roman Catholic Church, Wieslaw Peski , who had been serving in Ukraine for almost 20 years, was banned entry into our state. This has been reported by the sources of “Religiyna Pravda” in the State Border Guard Service of Ukraine. The reason for the entry ban was his regular anti-Ukrainian speeches.
As RISU managed to find out, this ban will be valid for 3 years.
The priest Wieslaw Peski SAC had performed liturgical activities in the Parish of Christ the King of the Universe of the Roman Catholic Church in Kyiv from 1999 to September 2017. He is a monk of the Order of the "Pallottines" (Society of the Catholic Apostolate).
In September 2017, the priest was transferred to Poland, after which he visited Ukraine several times. In February, he became a non grata person.
“It is with sadness that I have to confirm that the citizen of the Republic of Poland, a priest of the Roman Catholic Church, Wenceslas Penski SAC, in February this year, was banned entry into our state for three years. Father Wenceslaw Penski SAC had served in the parish of Christ the King of the Universe of the Roman Catholic Church in Kyiv from 1999 to 2017. He is a member of the Society of the Catholic Apostolate (Fathers-Pallottines). The current situation is very sad and disturbing. It is also a pity that both the Church and the priest learned about this ban only from the media. We must conduct a detailed internal investigation for reasons and legitimate grounds. At the same time, I want to emphasize and reiterate that the Roman Catholic Church in Ukraine respects the laws of Ukraine and tries to do its utmost work for the good of citizens. The priests of our Church serve as chaplains among the military and the wounded, involved in volunteering assistance to the victims of the East, in the temples prayers for peace in Ukraine and its welfare are lifted,”commented Bishop Vitaly Kryvytsky of the Diocese of Kyiv-Zhytomyr.
“Religiyna Pravda” gained access to expert opinions on the statements of the rector of the parish of Christ-King of the Universe in Kyiv, Father Wieslaw Peski. Independent experts from higher education institutions made their conclusions.
“Thus, a citizen of Poland, the rector of the parish of Christ the King of the Universe in Kyiv, father Wieslaw Peski, while on air of Polonia TV channel in the USA, speaking about modern Poles in Ukraine, notes that they are here in danger and are perceived as a third category citizens,” goes the conclusion of one of the experts with a link to the video.
In another of his speeches, Fr. Wieslaw Peski, as the opinion states, has alleged that some Ukrainian manuals contain calls for the extermination of Poles on an ethnic basis.
“These statements violate Article 161 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine “Violation of the equality of citizens according to their race, nationality or religious beliefs” which provides for responsibility for intentional actions aimed at incitement to national, racial or religious hatred, to humiliate national honor and dignity,” sums up a specialist.
The experts also analyzed the priest's words about the Revolution of Dignity.
"Wieslaw Peski also spoke quite contemptuously about the Revolution of Dignity, saying that the Maidan was paid on both sides. That is, those who supported Yanukovych were paid, and the people on the Maidan received an hourly payment.
“On the part of the authorities, this is almost everyone, from the side of the opposition, I think that half of the people get money for their struggle on Independence,” one of the experts wrote. “The priest criticizes the Ukrainian government, alleging that it falsifies the history of Polish-Ukrainian relations, humiliates the Ukrainian constitution.”
In conclusion, two experts said that "Fr Wieslaw Peski quite often allows in his speeches non-tolerant, anti-Ukrainian statements that increase xenophobic sentiment and adversely affect Ukrainian-Polish relations.” The experts recommend to the relevant state authorities to limit the stay of Fr Wieslaw Peski on the territory of Ukraine.
