The author of the article focuses on the issue of an appointed Archbishop of Warsaw, Stanislaw Wielgus, collaborating with the Communist secret police, with his role coming to light as the promotion was approaching. The main question that the article raises is how can a person who provided information to the regime that has anti-church ideas be both moral and spiritual authority for the people.
From what the article has gathered, Archbishop of Warsaw Stanislaw Wielgus might have worked with the Communist government for around 20 years and provided information on what was occurring in the church. The conflict over what should be done with Christian leaders who have worked with anti-church regimes is long-standing as the stakes are predominantly high. While some have rationalized their actions as the result of pressure, any deception is not an excuse in the eyes of religious church leaders. Therefore, those who cooperated with anti-religious organizations were deemed traitors, or traditores, to signify the betrayal of the church and its core principles.
An important quote that should be pointed out from the article is concerned with the fact that the church cannot be 100% sinless and pure. The author mentioned that the church as an organization is “composed of sinners; if we excluded all sinners, no one would be in ministry” (Wunderink, 2007, p. 70). Such a statement suggests that even morally clean and supposedly transparent organizations like the Catholic church cannot control everyone and ensure that there are no individuals who act immorally. In its essence, the collaboration of Stanislaw Wielgus with the communist government is evidence of the lack of understanding of what goes on in the church as well as how ineffective leadership in such an organization can be.
Reference
Wunderink, S. (2007). What to do with a former informant? Christianity Today, March 2007, 68-70.