Protesters in Poland block bishop inside church — Notes from Poland

In the Polish village of Grojec near Auschwitz, protesters blocked Roman Pindel, bishop of the Bielsko-Żywiec Diocese, inside a church. Police evacuated him from the church under protection at around 1 a.m. after negotiations with the crowd failed to produce results, Notes from Poland reports.

According to local media, around 3,000 people gathered outside the church in the evening. They were protesting against the removal of parish priest Józef Zborek, who had served there for almost 30 years. Participants held signs calling for the priest not to be taken away from the parish.

The service was interrupted

Pindel arrived in Grojec to meet with the parish council and discuss the situation, and later went to the local church for the Eucharist. Some protesters entered the church and interrupted the service. The bishop and several priests then retreated to the sacristy.

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Videos on social media show those present shouting aggressively at the bishop. According to the outlet, some people physically attacked him, but were pulled away. Law enforcement officers, including police negotiators, arrived at the scene. As the crowd blocked the church exits, the bishop was escorted out under police protection.

The decision was declared final

During a conversation with protesters, Pindel said that the Vatican had confirmed the decision to remove Zborek and that it was final. The Bielsko-Żywiec Diocese said that church proceedings had established serious and proven violations in the priest’s performance of his duties. The nature of those violations was not publicly disclosed.

The case involving Zborek was first reported in 2024. He repeatedly appealed the decision, including at the Vatican, but was removed from his post on Saturday. The diocese said the priest had the opportunity to defend himself and file appeals within the canonical process, and also described the crowd as aggressive and said there was a threat to the health and lives of priests.