Solidarity is Poland's gift to Europe: PM

Morawiecki opened the plenary session of the Council of the Bishops' Conference of Europe in Poznań, western Poland, on Thursday.

“Solidarity and freedom ... is anchored in the teachings of the Church, in the great Christian tradition, the tradition of all of Europe,” Morawiecki said.

According to Morawiecki, solidarity gave dignity to people in times of oppression.

He referred to Poland's experience of two totalitarian regimes – of WWII-era fascism and of the communism which followed – saying that solidarity was Poland's answer to those oppressive times.

Solidarity was also the name of the Church-backed anti-communist movement which emerged in Poland in the 1980s.

Morawiecki said the Solidarity of the 1980s embodied values such as community, justice and support of the weak, adding that Poland continued to promote those values.

He also said that “solidarity is a Polish brand, the living incarnation of the Polish spirit … and our most valuable contribution … to the future of Europe”.

Morawiecki also noted that the Church was a refuge for Poles and Polish culture during periods when those were being suppressed, such as during more than 100 years of partitions and foreign rule.

He underlined that Poland this year marks a century since the end of those partitions. (vb/pk)

Source: PAP