A famous newspaper reporter in Poland has been handed a hefty fine of £3,457 for criticising Pope John Paul II. In Warsaw the court found that Jerzy Urban was guilty of insulting the head of the Roman Catholic Church in an article prior to the pontiff’s visit to Poland in 2002.
Urban was shocked at the decision, and had claimed that he was simply exercising his right to freedom of speech.
The decision has worried some groups that it now has set a precedent for the EU state that may lead to many subsequent restrictive judgements.
Urban is well-known for being the editor-in-chief for the Polish weekly newspaper Nie ("No").
The disputed article was entitled Walking Sadomasochism, and the article referred to the Pope’s frail state of health and described him as "the Brezhnev of the Vatican", as well as an "impotent old man".
The article received many complaints after its publication, and the recent verdict stated, "The court has no doubts that intending to ridicule the church, Jerzy Urban ridiculed and derided the pope."
A number of Urban’s critics that attended the trial shouted after the decision, "too little" and called for a larger fine to be handed out as punishment.
During the court case, the prosecution had been pushing for a ten-month suspended prison sentence for Urban. The court, however, reacted with more leniency that many cried out for, and the case has greatly highlighted the Pope’s high standing amongst the Polish community, and evidenced that any criticism of the Pope at all would be likely to be met by a huge outcry and much condemnation.
