The Priests of the Sacred Heart of Jesus congregation is in the middle of a political storm in Poland as the new government questions the funding its ministry for abuse victims received from the previous government.
Accused of having “no experience” in the field, the congregation’s foundation didn’t receive the last portion of funding-$7.5 million-which the ministry’s creators said is “indispensable” to finish construction of a building and “start helping those abused both in society and in the church.”
Led by Sacred Heart Father Michal Olszewski, the Archipelago — Islands Free from Violence project, as the ministry is called, is meant to be a safe haven and shelter for victims of abuse in families, institutions and in the church.
Father Olszewski and the Sacred Heart priests’ foundation, Profeto, won a bid from the state-run Justice Fund for $10 million in the spring of 2020 to build a place in Warsaw’s Wilanów district where “all the victims, no matter their background, no matter whether they’re Catholic or not, no matter who they voted for, will find refuge,” Father Olszewski told OSV News.
The Justice Fund aims to assist people victimized by crime and those closest to them, especially in medical, psychological, legal and material spheres. The new Polish government is auditing money that went to various organisations, including those of Christian origin such as foundations with a pro-life mission.
Picture: The Archipelago — Islands Free from Violence, seen in an undated photo, is under construction in Warsaw, Poland. (OSV News photo/courtesy Profeto Foundation)