-- POLISH BISHOP DOESN'T SEE FILM AS ATTACK ON THE CHURCH, SCHETYNA STRONGLY ON WHETHER THE CHURCH CAN COOPERATE WITH THE STATE - 300LIVE: https://300polityka.pl/live/2019/05/15/

-- THE FILM WAS OBVIOUSLY NEEDED - JAROSŁAW GOWIN IN SE: "I will honestly admit that I haven't watched it, but I have a clear stance on this film. It was obviously needed. Since crimes were committed – and pedophilia is a crime, since the perpetrators were not punished, since the victims were not compensated, and since in some cases there was cover-ups – then we, as Catholics, can only be grateful to the Sekielski brothers.

-- ACTIONS SHOULD FOLLOW THE WORDS OF THE HIERARCHY - GOWIN CONTINUES: "So far, very important statements have been made by the chairman of the episcopate, Archbishop Gądecki, and the Primate of Poland. However, actions should follow these words. I know that in many cases, church authorities have imposed canonical consequences on the perpetrators of these crimes, but those who are still alive should also bear criminal responsibility."

-- WE HAVE REACHED THE LIMITS OF THE BUDGET'S CAPABILITIES - GOWIN CONTINUES: "Of course not. This is our lasting commitment. However, when questions are asked about what further social transfers we should introduce, I clearly say that it is time to stop. We have reached the limits of the budget's capabilities. Now we must focus on development." https://www.se.pl/wiadomosci/polityka/jaroslaw-gowin-my-katolicy-mozemy-byc-tylko-wdzieczni-braciom-sekielskim-aa-AtyE-VcXz-YRa5.html

-- THE FILM COMPLETELY SURPRISED PiS - MICHAŁ SZUŁDRZYŃSKI IN RZ: "This cacophony shows that, contrary to the boastful announcements of some PiS politicians, this campaign is completely different from 2015. Back then, such an inconsistent message was not possible. PiS won three times that year because it not only had good ideas and reacted well to events, but also – recognizing that it was operating in an unfavorable media environment – it extremely guarded the consistency of its message. Today, when the ruling party has public television and several favorable media outlets, this vigilance is lacking. As a result, its campaign political message is completely falling apart. This is understandable due to the operation of various centers – it is difficult to simultaneously coordinate the communication of the presidential center, over two hundred MPs, several dozen ministers and deputy ministers, and the party headquarters. However, this does not change the fact that there are no even attempts at such coordination."

-- THE EUROPEAN COALITION WON THE CAMPAIGN RACE AFTER THE SEKIELSKI FILM - SZUŁDRZYŃSKI CONTINUES: "However, the previously efficient parliamentary mechanism has also jammed. PiS, which had been able to submit a bill, push it through the Sejm and Senate, and obtain the president's signature within a dozen or so hours, was dozens of hours late with its own bill to toughen penalties for pedophilia. The European Coalition won the campaign race in this matter, presenting its bill on extending the statute of limitations for pedophilia on Monday morning, as a result of which PiS's actions were not only delayed but also appeared to be forced by the opposition."

-- SCHETYNA'S CAMPAIGN HAS FOUND A SECOND WIND - SZUŁDRZYŃSKI CONTINUES: "The election campaign of the coalition led by Grzegorz Schetyna has just found a second wind. Schetyna reacted to the Sekielski film faster than Kaczyński, paraphrasing Kaczyński's words that a hand raised against the Church is a hand raised against Poland. The leader of the European Coalition stated in response to the documentary that the one who raises a hand against Polish children is raising a hand against the Polish state. Not long ago, PiS's lead over the opposition was so great that the rulers had nothing to worry about. But the great emotional charge caused by the Sekielski film, along with PiS's serious mistakes, could change that quickly." https://www.rp.pl/Komentarze/190519708-Szuldrzynski-Film-o-pedofilii-w-Kosciele-zupelnie-zaskoczyl-PiS.html

-- EWA ŁĘTOWSKA ON HAVING ONCE BEEN A SUPPORTER OF THE "FRIENDLY SEPARATION" FORMULA FOR STATE AND CHURCH, BUT NOW BELIEVING A CLEAR SEPARATIONAL DIVISION WOULD BE BETTER - speaking in Krytyka (excerpt from Artur Nowak's book “Żeby nie było zgorszenia”): "For a period, I was a supporter of the formula for the friendly separation of the state and the Church. The 1997 Constitution, in place of the hostile separation of throne and altar, introduced this very principle, the principle of friendly separation based on autonomy and cooperation. It was good that this happened. However, I think that a separation, which did not truly occur, is easier to manage than the current 'friendly cooperation.' Negotiations and cooperation are values serving the common good when conducted by honest partners of equal strength and determination in defending their positions. Meanwhile, for years we have observed the dominance of the Church's worldview claims and great determination in pushing these claims. We see this in many areas of social life. This is driven by the intention to subordinate Polish law to an interpretation consistent with the Catholic worldview, and in its orthodox form. The scope of this expansion concerns culture (we have a selection of what is to be shown in cinemas, theaters, and galleries – even if the church hierarchy does not explicitly formulate these demands, it promotes and supports them very effectively), healthcare (here we have demands for the supremacy of God's law as obligatory for doctors and, consequently, the sabotage of state law), education (in principle, 'freedom from gender ideology' has been introduced since kindergarten, religious symbols are present in schools and opposition to the sexual education proposed by psychologists, we also had a dispute in this area regarding religious education, which led to the postulate of making it a matriculation exam subject), and finally, at universities, the freedom to organize meetings and discussions on sensitive topics or with the participation of undesirable speakers has been limited (take, for example, the case of ethicist Peter Singer at the University of Warsaw). Today, I think a clear separational model would serve us better. The model based on the principles of equal cooperation is not working, because this cooperation simply does not exist." https://krytykapolityczna.pl/kraj/ewa-letowska-kosciol-molestowanie-nie-mow-nikomu/ -- ELITE FRIENDS OF THE CHAIRMAN - FAKT'S FRONT PAGE: "The Chairman also didn't mention that he often visits the home of Senate Vice-Marshal Adam Bielan (45) – it is there, preferably over duck prepared by the politician's wife, that the PiS leader holds secret meetings with diplomats and politicians. Although PiS activists would prefer him to talk about Bielan than about Julia Przyłębska (60), the President of the Constitutional Tribunal. The revelation of this friendship has become grist for the opposition's mill, which points out the TK president's dependence on the PiS leader." https://www.fakt.pl/wydarzenia/polityka/oto-przyjaciele-prezesa/q1zy43t

-- SECRETS OF KACZYŃSKI'S CATS - SE'S FRONT PAGE: https://www.egazety.pl/time/e-wydanie-super-express.html

-- PIS CONVENTION IN THE MOST EXCLUSIVE HOTEL IN ŁÓDŹ - DZIENNIK ŁÓDZKI FRONT PAGE: https://www.egazety.pl/polska-press/e-wydanie-polska-dziennik-lodzki.html

-- PRESIDENT'S FATHER ON AN ARTIFICIALLY STIMULATED DISCUSSION BECAUSE THE CHURCH IS FIGHTING PEDOPHILIA - says WP: "I believe the current discussion has been artificially stimulated. Representatives of the Episcopate have made statements in the film, and their position was very clear. The Church is fighting the phenomenon of pedophilia among priests. It is no secret that the Church has always had enemies. It has them now too. These enemies have a mouthpiece, so today they are using it – Professor Jan Duda told Wirtualna Polska." https://wiadomosci.wp.pl/film-tomasza-sekielskiego-ojciec-prezydenta-polski-mowi-o-wrogach-kosciola-6380868258199169a?fbclid=IwAR22NyBGF5MrD2KtCzAB07bceSgds_yP6LupHa3eDwpapZ_ZARB86iOQZ_o

-- KLOC MUST APOLOGIZE TO OLBRYCHT FOR SAYING POLAND SHOULD BE PUNISHED: "Elections to the European Parliament 2019. Izabela Kloc from PiS must apologize to Jan Olbrycht from PO for the words 'Olbrycht said in Brussels that Poland must be punished' – ruled the first-instance court in Katowice on May 14 in an election case before the European Parliament elections." http://wiadomosci.gazeta.pl/wiadomosci/7,114884,24785831,izabela-kloc-z-pis-ma-przeprosic-jana-olbrychta-z-po-za-slowa.html#s=BoxOpLink

-- MARCELINA ZAWISZA: THE EU SHOULD SUBSIDIZE HEALTHCARE, JUST LIKE IT SUBSIDIZES AGRICULTURE - speaking in an interview with Jan Smoleński in Krytyka: "The EU can create subsidies for healthcare systems in the same way it has created subsidies for agriculture. We – as Razem and the international coalition Spring in Europe – will fight for the EU budget to also include subsidies for healthcare."

-- ZAWISZA SPEAKS ABOUT THE DOCILITY OF POLITICIANS TOWARDS PHARMACEUTICAL COMPANIES: "The current patent law, and more broadly – the way we create innovations in medicines, causes companies, instead of focusing on discovering new drugs, to prioritize profit maximization. We propose moving away from the current order towards existing alternatives: broader public funding of research, and in the case of research conducted by private corporations – transferring patents to the public domain in exchange for one-time 'rewards' for inventing a drug instead of long-term monopolies. Because currently, companies can set prices for 20 years by patenting a drug. Arbitrarily." https://krytykapolityczna.pl/kraj/marcelina-zawisza-wywiad-unia-ochrona-zdrowia/

-- ROMAN IMIELSKI IN GW ON THE PRIVATIZATION OF WESTERPLATTE: "The authorities of Gdańsk announce a fight to the end, but I have no illusions that PiS will back down this time. Historical policy is one of the important goals of this government, and it does not have an inherent gene for compromise. It showed this in Warsaw when it forcibly took Piłsudski Square from the city. It was enough for the then head of the Ministry of Interior and Administration, Mariusz Błaszczak, to designate the area around the square as a closed area, like military training grounds. Thanks to this, PiS could erect a monument to Lech Kaczyński." http://wyborcza.pl/7,75398,24785279,szturm-pis-na-westerplatte-chca-sprywatyzowac-nasza-wspolna.html

-- FAKT LISTS POLISH MEP CANDIDATES WHO WILL BE ENTITLED TO PENSIONS EXCEEDING PLN 15,000: https://www.fakt.pl/wydarzenia/polityka/emerytury-dla-europoslow-w-parlamencie-europejskim-ile-emerytury-beda-dostawac-polscy/zyhwysd

-- BIRTHDAYS: Paula Sawicka, Jerzy Jachowicz, James Shotter.