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WHETHER YOU ARE a school child that loves dressing up like Dracula and scaring neighbours with the threat of a ‘trick or treat’, or an adult that gleefully grabs the chance to dress up as a well-known personality, Halloween is generally perceived as a lot of harmless fun.
However, a Polish Archbishop from the diocese of Szczecin-Kamien in northwest Poland does not seem to see the funny side of this age-old celebration.
Archbishop Andrzej Dziega issued a three-page statement on Sunday – to be read out at all congregations across the diocese – condemning the “dangers of pagan Halloween” and its “world of darkness, including devils and vampires”. It was all very Bram Stoker indeed.
Archbishop Dziega said he was saddened to “see a growing wave of Halloween celebrations in Poland in recent years”.
He said that he was particularly concerned about Halloween activities being organised in schools, which he added could “even destroy the spiritual life” of children.
Halloween celebrations in Polish schools have become increasingly popular in recent years as a new generation grows up with a love for US culture and fashion.
“Promotion of paganism”
Moreover, the Archbishop had less sympathy for adults that might want to dress up in ghoulish costumes on 31 October. Adults did not “understand the spiritual danger” of the event, he said.
The Archbishop added that Halloween was a “promotion of paganism” and the “culture of death”.
Halloween falls just one day before one of Poland’s largest religiously observed bank holidays. All Saints Day on 1 November, or ‘The Day of the Dead’ as it is called in Poland sees millions of Poles pay their respects to their deceased relatives by lighting candles at their graves.
For the Polish Catholic hierarchy, the fun-filled antics of Halloween on 31 October are at odds with the country’s traditional day of mourning on 1 November.
Local online news source ‘Moje Miasto Szczecin’, which published the statement, has been inundated with comments both in support of, and deriding, the Archbishop’s attack on Halloween.
Journalist and film-maker Liam Nolan lives in Poland. His site is at liamnolanmedia.com and he tweets here.
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They are the lowest of the low.
It’s not even a shock anymore. The Russian army have no morals. Savages.
It’s very hard to see through the propaganda in this war. If you believe the Ukrainians, the Russians are nearly beaten. Listen to Russian side and the Ukrainians are surrendering in droves. As for asov, I wouldn’t believe anything they say.
@Bart Teeling: are you talking to the azov lads much ?
@Rian Lynch: nah, don’t really get on with nazis who drag civilians into their bunkers as human shields. If they want to go to Valhalla, fine, but let the civilians go.
@Bart Teeling: human shields dont work on russians though do they.
@Bart Teeling: the Russians lie about everything. From the Malaysian flight, to Salisbury, to no plans to invade and just running war games. Also lied about not using the rocket that blew up the station. Odious regime
@John Comerford: they’re no different to the other major aggressors, the US and UK lie to invade countries too. War is a horrific and shameful constant in our world, young lives snuffed out by the decisions of greedy old men.
@Bart Teeling: I think @Rian Lynch has your logic by the neck there…
@Bart Teeling: why would Ukrainians drag their countryman into their bunkers? To shield themselves from Russian “soldiers”!? Its painful how some people are brainwashed by putlers propaganda. Glory to Ukrainians
@Bart Teeling: Bart how do you know they are doing this? Believe everything Russia tells you?
my but the bots are out in force this morning
@Rian Lynch: noticed that myself. Definitely at least 3 on here already
@Rian Lynch: John ” there’s a worse crisis in Yemen” Maloney is up early to head to the bookies.
@Dave Johnston: have a look at declan gilsenan below . hes trying to make it a jewish conspiracy
@Rian Lynch: i don’t understand any Irish person siding with the Russians in this conflict. Hoping that they are based in Orwell road. Would be sad to think that these are Irish. To Declan there are a lot of very powerful Russian Jews. Not sure what he is trying to imply but not good.
With all due respect to those fighters, they are now fighting a losing battle in that steel plant and must fully realise that those animals are not going to just pack up and head back to Russia. Time to call it a day and let those women and children have a chance to live. Ukraine have somewhere between 600-800 russian pow’s, so it’s possible the fighters could get back as part of a prisoner swap. Although perhaps Russia would not be keen on swaps involving Azov.
@Tommy Roche: which is probbaly why they wont surrender. they know theyll be paraded out for some show trial and then either executed or imprisoned forever in some hell hole in Russia.
@Tommy Roche: Russia have kidnapped many thousands of Ukrainian civilians from Eastern Ukraine. Removing them against their will to “camps” in Russia and they are playing this off to Russian TV as Ukrainian refugees seeking shelter from Ukrainians Nazi government. They hold the upper hand. Do you think they care about their soldiers being held as POWs? They sent them to war under false pretences. Also we have seen Russian troops targeting and killing civilians in towns right across Ukraine including Mariupol, why do we think they’d allow them to live if they surrendered? The west should have responded militarily when it was clear what was happening. As much as Russia will be judged by history for their actions the west will be judged for our inaction.
@Rian Lynch: So they’re going to sit in some hole in Avozstol until a Russian bunker buster comes through the roof and kills not only them, but the hundreds of women and children stuck in there with them ? They are definitely going to die if they stay there but have at least some chance if they surrender. Just reading telegram now and they are saying the Russians have proposed a ceasefire from 2pm (12pm GMT). Also putting up names, photos, dates of birth of those still alive inside.
@Tommy Roche: yeah because the russians can be trusted to protect civilians.
@Gerry McCaughey: They have swapped many POW’s already, plus swapped Ukrainian POW’s for the return of the bodies of Russian troops. This is all 100% Russia’s fault and I’m in no way defending what they have done. Just pointing out that they do seem to care about their POW’s, or at least some of them.
@Tommy Roche: maybe some of them. But they also turned down a temporary ceasefire offered by the Ukraine a few weeks ago so that Russia could collect the bodies of their fallen soldiers to send them home to their mothers. There seems to be a large rogue element in Russias military. Some soldiers I’m sure are obeying the rules of law and we have seen many surrender because they were ordered to target civilians. It seems the troops attacking Mariupol have no principles from what we’ve seen. They have bombed almost every civilian building in the city and attacked convoys of civilians leaving during the first short lived ceasefire. I don’t know if I’d trust them to behave if Ukrainians surrendered to them.
@Gerry McCaughey: Definately agree with you that some units of the Russian military are out of control. Seems that many of them actually believe that they are doing good by killing those they believe to be nationalists, and that the majority of civilians wanted them to invade to save them from the ‘nazis’. Crazy stuff that shows the damage that has been caused by exposing russians to years of state media, RT talk shows etc. The likes of our own MEP’s appearing on those shows telling the ‘truth’ about what the EU and NATO were up to certainly didn’t help matters.
@Tommy Roche: totally agree. The scary thing is that this has really exposed Russian society. The amount of anti West hate and blind belief in Putin is scary. It’s also made me think that all those landslide victories for Putin in elections weren’t vote rigging. Once he got rid of any opponent he was worried about he probably did get all those votes. It’s going to take a major change in the political status quo in Russia after this is over and maybe a generation of living under proper freedom before Russia isn’t a threat. Hard to believe that the current Putin supporters were young people when Gorbachev was in power with his openness and freedom.
@Gerry McCaughey: gerry I spent a lot of time in Russia. Worse place I ever worked. They hate the west it is ingrained in them. Didn’t matter I was Irish – my crime was western.
People on here cheering them on are clueless. They want to destroy the west
Some talk about the 9th May that Putin and the Russians will celebrate Victory day. Will we and the Russian people have to witness the Obscenity of what they have done to their neighbours in Ukraine been celebrated. Absolutely not
@Declan Gilsenan: youre wearing all the tinfoil arent you
@Declan Gilsenan: Zelensky was an actor/ comedian who played the part of the president in a Ukrainian sitcom. He then ran for office and was elected president. Other than Putin (who might be a tad biased) nobody has suggested that his election was anything other than fair and free.
It does seem that a high proportion of artists, actors writers etc are of the Jewish faith. I can’t be sure why that is, perhaps the Jewish faith promotes intelligence, creativity etc.
Have you another theory?
@Declan Gilsenan: isn’t it odd that Putin talks about how the country is run by Nazis despite Zelensky being Jewish and having ancestors who were killed by the actual Nazis? Stop trying to make this about anything other than Putin being a land grabbing psychopath.
@Declan Gilsenan: what an absolute bell end you are.
@Declan Gilsenan: he won the election run off getting over 70% of the vote. The candidate in second place stated that the election was fair and had no complaints. Putin on the other had jailed/poisoned his opponents and murdered dozens of journalists.
@Gerry McCaughey: that’s all he is after I think the land and the population that comes with it.
@Declan Gilsenan: — If you’re worried about the number of Jews, there must be quite a few in the Kremlin, not to mention in the ranks of the Russian Oligarchs. It would have been more than dense to disband NATO, as your psycho employer would have sent his forces into the former Iron Curtain countries so that the people in Kaliningrad wouldn’t feel so isolated. Actually, I think the Russians should leave Kalinigrad so that it could revert to Konigsberg, which was never Russian.
@shligo boyzz: yup and the notoriety. He wants go down in history as the man who tried to reunite the old Soviet Union. I have no doubt that he will continue if he gets away with this. Unless rumours about his health are true and he kicks the bucket.
Anything Russian throw it off your shelves
Death,loss, material damage and plunder Putin inflicted cant be measured with anything. Not to mention filtration camps.Ukraine will win though.
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