Mormons - where did they come from, what are their laws, what is their number in the world and in Poland? From German beginnings by chickens kept in the lake against thieves to modern times

 The Mormon community is primarily centered in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. It was founded in 1830 by Joseph Smith Jr. The angel Moroni, from whom he had received the Book of Mormon, was to appear to him. Sam Joseph Smith, Jr., founder of the Church, was shot in prison much later. The community has often come into conflict with the inhabitants of the areas where it has been, and even with the federal authorities of the United States. Nevertheless, it survived and is present today in most countries of the world. Let's get to know its history and the principles it follows. Some of them are certainly controversial. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is a very large and powerful religious community, primarily in the United States. Its followers, although not so numerous, are also present in Poland. Even before the Second World War, it was possible to find their centers in the cities that were to fall to Poland after the war. Difficult beginnings in the early years of the People's Republic of Poland resulted in the liquidation of the community. However, it was reactivated and it began to develop.

The founder of the Mormon community was Joseph Smith, Jr., son of the then Presbyterian couple Lucy and Joseph Smith. The founding of this community was associated with two apparitions. When Joseph Smith Jr. was 14 years old, God and Jesus Christ were to appear to him in Palmyra (New York State) and told him not to join any of the churches because they were all wrong. This took place in the spring of 1820.

The next revelation was to take place on September 21-22, 1823. This time, Joseph Smith Jr. saw a prophet or angel named Moroni who gave Smith information about the location of the ancient Book of Mormon, which was written and hidden by Moroni's father Mormon. Joseph Smith Jr. was to translate this book from the Old Egyptian language, but he was to receive the original Book only 4 years later. He was also to receive from Moroni the command to restore the true Church because the followers of the Church founded by Christ's disciples departed from the principles of the true faith.

In addition to Smith himself, the witnesses of these apparitions were local farmers and his family, including his wife Emma. Mormons refer to the ancient Nephites in justifying their legitimacy as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. They believe they are the heirs of this people, while other Churches descended from other Lehi sons have departed from the true faith.

The Book of Mormon was published in March 1830 in Palmyra. Soon after, Joseph Smith Jr. and his 5 companions founded a new Church in Fayette, New York. Gradually, the number of his followers began to increase. Partly due to the successive apparitions of Joseph Smith Jr, but mainly due to the lack of favor of the local population, the Church changed its location quite often. These were Kirtland and Cleveland, Ohio, and Independence, Missouri, respectively. Eventually, they were driven from that state to Illinois, where they built their new headquarters in Hancock County, named Nauvoo.

The community functioned there for several years, but in 1844 something happened that influenced its further fate. Sources give various reasons for this (destruction of the printing press "Nauvoo Expositor", critical of Smith Jra, the introduction of polygamy, tax fraud), but the fact is that the county authorities ordered the arrest of Joseph Smith Jr, who, in order to avoid bloodshed, decided to turn himself over to the authorities. He was imprisoned in Carthage. Although the governor himself was to ensure his safety, on June 27, 1844, a mob of Mormon opponents broke into the prison, and Joseph Smith Jr. was shot.

The community was expected to fall apart after the death of the leader, but otherwise. A successor was chosen, Brigham Young, who in 1847 proclaimed himself president of this Church. He relocated the headquarters of the Church: on July 24, 1847, he founded Salt Lake City. The fellowship grew, and church administration structures were established to exercise civil authority in the nascent Utah territory. Sam Young was appointed governor by US President Millard Fillmore in 1850. Later, due to difficulties faced by federal officials, it was decided to remove Young, and in 1857 a new governor came to Utah with the military. There was even a conflict (Utah War), but Young decided to step down and President James Buchanan pardoned him.

The Church, however, established itself in the United States and even began to carry out missionary activities. While Mormons are concentrated primarily in the aforementioned Church, there are also other factions. Today, there are estimated to be over 16.5 million followers of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints worldwide.

The most important books to which Mormons refer in the context of the principles of faith are the Bible, the aforementioned Book of Mormon, The Pearl of Great Price, published in 1833, and The Doctrine and Covenants of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints). The Book of Mormon describes, first of all, the history of the Nephites, the Pearl contains the Book of Moses (including passages that are not in the Bible), the Book of Abraham, and the writings of Joseph Smith Jr himself, relating to, inter alia, to chapter XXIV of the Gospel according to St. Matthew. In contrast, the book of Doctrine and Covenants lists the prophecies of both Joseph Smith and his successors.

There are a number of dogmas in the Church. Some of them seem obvious from the point of view of the functioning of the Church, such as the dogma about the authenticity of the Book of Mormon or about the mission of Joseph Smith, who restored the true Church. On the other hand, dogmas such as that concerning the material nature of God and the denial of original sin are noteworthy. The latter was included in one of the 13 articles of faith. The second one says that people will be punished for their own sins, and not for original sin.

In line with article 6, Mormons recognize that the early Church of Jesus Christ was correct. Article 8 says that the Bible is the word of God as long as it is translated correctly. Under article 11, Mormons claim the privilege of worshiping God as their conscience tells them, and at the same time grant that privilege to other people. In turn, Article 12 expresses faith in obedience to rulers, presidents and governments and in respect for the law.

Certain principles recognized by Mormons are in conflict with, for example, Catholicism. Mormons recognize baptism by immersion, which can already be given to infants as young as 8 years old. Moreover, the possibility of baptism per procura with ancestors is also recognized to ensure their place in Christ's kingdom. In 2001, it was announced that the Catholic Church would not recognize Mormon baptisms.

What brought Mormons into conflict with US federal law was the polygamy they originally recognized. It was officially banned by Congress in 1862. It was not until September 24, 1890, that the then Church leader Wilford Woodruff announced a manifesto by which only the first marriage was to be recognized. As not everyone followed this principle, Woodruff backed it on November 11, 1891, announcing at a conference that he had a revelation in which God showed him the tragic consequences of continuing to practice polygamy.

Traditionally, the Mormon community has been patriarchal. Already in their teens, boys could take up church functions and administer the sacraments. As for women: they could not perform such functions at all, and their role was primarily to be a wife and motherhood. In Utah, women were not granted suffrage until 1970. And every man should have as many children as possible. One of the functions of the family, however, was to instill obedience to those in charge of the Church. The latter has the following structure: it is headed by the President, who together with the 2 Apostles forms the Presidential Council. The specific Senate of the Church is the Council of the Twelve Apostles. In addition to this, the Quorum of the Seventy also plays an important role. It carries out activities the directions of which have been set out by the President and the Council. All these bodies are known as General Authorities.

The first records of units in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in cities in today's Poland date back to the late nineteenth century. Of course, these were not Polish lands then, and some of them did not even later become part of the Second Polish Republic. Such units existed in Żary in 1892, as well as in Szczecin and Wrocław in 1897. In 1908, a Mormon commune was established in Wrocław. As the number of the faithful grew fairly quickly, it became necessary to divide it into three communes: Center, West, and South. It happened in 1921.

A year later, missionary activity in Masuria was started by Fritz Fischer, who came into contact with Mormons during his stay in Berlin, to which his then-fiancée was supposed to convince him. The place of Fischer's activity was the village of Zełwągi, located 5 km from Mikołajki because it was his family village. However, it should be remembered that in the interwar period, these areas belonged to East Prussia, and the Zelwągi itself was then called Selbongen. However, the official Mormon mission did not appear in the village until 1926. However, three years later, on July 14, the first chapel was consecrated.

Wojciech Jakubowski states that until the outbreak of World War II, the Masurian community numbered about 200 believers, while Anna Kucharska recalls that the vast majority of the inhabitants of the village declared their affiliation at that time. You can also find information about the existence of Mormon centers in Kostrzyn, Gdańsk, and Stargard in 1924 and in Gorzów Wielkopolski and Piła in 1930. The number of believers in individual centers varied from 500 to 700. It is extremely important that all these centers were subordinate to the Swiss-German Mission until 1924, and from 1925 to the German-Austrian Mission. This partially affected the situation of Mormons in Poland after World War II.

After the war, the number of Mormons in Poland dropped significantly. In and around Zełwągi, they were mainly the native inhabitants of Masuria and the German population who left the Evangelical-Augsburg Church. In 1947 it was estimated that there were about 130 people. The first attempts to register the community were made. In 1946, Ezra Taft Benson, who later became the Secretary for Agriculture in the administration of Dwight Eisenhower, who later became President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, met with the then Minister of Justice, but also with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Poland in Exile, Stanisław Mikołajczyk.

In the late 1940s, there was a change in the attitude of the authorities towards non-Roman Catholic denominations, which was unfavorable for Mormons. It is true that in 1949 the law on associations was adopted, but the lack of proper dissemination of this information contributed to the fact that only a dozen or so different religious communities took advantage of the new possibility (Kucharska, pp. 119-120). However, the Mormon community was finally registered by the Department of Denominations of the Provincial National Council in Olsztyn, it was called the Reorganized Church of Latter-day Saints. It happened only in 1961. The number of followers of the Church in Zełwągi was then 46 people, and the head of the Church was Fritz Fischer's brother-in-law, Adolf Krusche. After his departure to West Germany, this function was taken over by Erich Paweł Konietz.

Importantly, in those years there was still no strictly Polish Mormon mission, and the community existing in Poland was the first subject to the German mission in West Berlin, and then (from 1962) to the Swiss mission. This change was related to difficulties in communication between the Polish community and the mission in Berlin. However, in those years there was also an exodus of believers, which was related to the persecution by Poles and Russians. Mormons were often associated with "German invaders" (Kucharska, pp. 118-119). The year 1958 was significant when the authorities of the People's Republic of Poland allowed all Germans who voluntarily settled in Poland after the war to leave it. Already in 1967, the number of Mormons in Zełwągi fell to just 24 people.

There is a specific legend connected with the post-war years and the difficult functioning of the Mormons in Zełwągi, which were invented by local residents, convinced that the members of the community sunk some treasures in the nearby lake Inulec. But the truth was much more… tragic? Grotesque? Mormons dipped… chickens in the lake at night in some kind of diving bells. This was due to the fact that they were constantly exposed to thefts (Pruchniewicz). For several years, the Mormon Church in Poland did not officially exist at all. Most of the followers, following Erich Konietz, decided to leave for the Federal Republic of Germany, which was approved by the authorities in 1971 (Jakubowski, 343). The aforementioned Department of Denominations formally dissolved this Church in Poland, and the last Mormons left these areas in the early 1980s.

The community was reactivated, but in a completely different formula, after a few years. In 1976, Henryk Burkhard, the president of the Mormons, visited the GDR. In 1977 the community was re-registered, this time as The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A positive decision in this matter was issued on May 30, 1977. This time, Szczecin was initially chosen as the seat of the Church in Poland. The name of the Church obviously refers to the dogmatic and ideological unity with the Salt Lake City headquarters.

In the same year, on August 22-24, Poland was visited by the then President of the Church, Spencer Wooley Kimball, who then even met with Kazimierz Kąkol, the Head of the Office for Religious Affairs, who approved the formal recognition of the functioning of the Church in Poland. Spencer Wooley Kimball even then had the opportunity to say a prayer during the ceremony organized in the Saxon Garden. At that time, Fryderyk Cherwiński, who was active in the Polish underground during World War II, became the leader of the Polish Church.

However, the Church encountered a number of internal and personal problems which led to a decline in the number of the faithful. On March 31, 1980, the Poznań commune was liquidated, and six months earlier, on September 30, 1979, the Szczecin office was liquidated. The Polish headquarters was moved to Warsaw. In the 1980s, the Salt Lake City headquarters delegated several missionaries to manage the Polish community. They were Stanley and Gwendellyn Mazur, Juliusz and Dorota Fussek as well as Brigham Young University professor Dr. Walter Whipple. Later this function was performed by Richard Ordyna.

The change in the policy of the PRL authorities at the end of the 1980s gave the Church additional opportunities. On May 30 - June 3, 1986, two future Presidents of the Church visited Poland: Russell Marion Nelson and Thomas Spencer Monson, who was then the President's Second Adviser. In 1988, talks were started with the authorities on the construction of a meetinghouse in Wola. In June 1989, the cornerstone ceremony took place. The already mentioned Russell Marion Nelson, who was then on the Council of the Twelve Apostles, participated in it.

On May 17, 1989, the Law on Freedom of Conscience and Religion was adopted. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints itself was formally entered on January 11, 1990, in the Register of Churches and Other Religious Associations. building a missionary and cultural center. The mission in Warsaw was officially opened in July 1990.

Currently, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Poland has 1,813 followers. There are 3 districts and 14 congregations in our country. There is also one mission of the Church in Poland, which is located in Warsaw, in Wola. Municipalities, on the other hand, are located in larger cities throughout Poland: in Warsaw, Łódź, Poznań, Wrocław, Katowice, Lublin, Kraków, Gdańsk, Bydgoszcz, and also in Białystok.

Andrew Carnegie - curriculum vitae, business idea, investment in steel, philanthropy

 Andrew Carnegie is an American businessman who was the richest man in the world at the turn of the 20th century. Carnegie owned an enormous fortune, estimated at $ 310 billion at the time of the businessman's death. The famous philanthropist and billionaire, in addition to the development of industry in America, also supported the development of culture and science in the world. What influence did Andrew Carnegie have on the development of American industry? How did the businessman start his career? See how Andrew Carnegie lived and achieved.

Andrew was born on November 25, 1835, in Dunfermline (Scotland). The boy's parents worked hard as weavers so that the four of them could live a good life - the couple had another son, Thomas. The Carnegie family lived modestly, living in a small studio apartment. Andrew's parents and their sons ate, slept, and spent time together on just a dozen square meters. When Andrew was 12, his parents decided to immigrate to the United States. They saw there a better chance of finding a good job and giving their children a better start in life. They settled in Allegheny City (Pittsburgh) in the American state of Pennsylvania. Andrew's mother started repairing shoes there, and his father worked in a cotton factory. When money was scarce, Mr. Carnegie also traded in bedding.

Andrew started working at the age of 13 to contribute to the family budget. First, he was a reel tutor in a weaving factory, where he worked for several hours a day. Back then, he was earning $ 2 a week with just one day off work. It was not easy for him. Young Andrew knew, however, that he must help his family live with dignity at all costs. The boy did not have time for joyful games with his peers. He didn't have a comfortable life and he didn't know what a carefree childhood was. However, his parents had taught him that hard work could keep him well. It was with this conviction that the boy began his adventure by earning money.

When Andrew was 15, he quit his job in a weaving factory. He became a telegram broker, already working for a slightly higher wage ($ 2.5 a week). The position of a telegraph messenger guaranteed the young Carnegie not only better money, but also other interesting benefits - such as free theater tickets on the day of the premiere. Andrew was very hardworking. He showed diligence in his work, he was also very diligent and thorough. In the telegraph office, this got the attention of the management team. Everyone was very impressed with how diligent young Andrew is. The teenager was offered a change of position to a telegraph operator.

In 1853, Andrew Carnegie became an officer of the Pennsylvania Railroad's telegraph. He continued to work diligently, trying to be as accurate as possible in his profession. He was soon promoted to secretary of one of the directors of the railroad, Thomas Scott. Thanks to this man, Andrew quickly received another promotion, this time to head of department. An interesting fact is that during the Civil War (1861-1865) it was Andrew Carnegie who helped in the organization of telegraph communication for the Union army, as well as planned transport and sent railroad rails for the army. Andrew then had no idea that he would soon be the richest in the entire United States. Much richer than Cornelius Vanderbilt or Jakob Fugger.

It was 1855. Andrew was already making enough money to try to invest it in something. Enterprising Carnegie decided to invest $ 500 in Adams Express. A few years later, Andrew received a stake in the Woodruff railway company. Carnegie slowly made his fortune while continuing to work for the railroad company. Soon after, Andrew began buying shares in steel companies, especially one - the Keystone Bridge Company, which built railroad bridges. In addition, he also bought shares of oil companies and wagon factories.

At the end of the American Civil War, Andrew Carnegie achieved such excellent results on the stock exchange of the companies he invested in that he quit the Pennsylvania Railroad. Carnegie felt this would be the best time to start his own business. As he decided, he did so.

Andrew Carnegie predicted that the demand for steel would increase in the coming years. He found this out on a trip to Europe in 1973, where he noticed a clear demand for an alloy of iron with carbon. Andrew had a nose for business, so he started investing in steel. Carnegie was very tough at negotiating and literally swept away competitors, expanding his business to such an extent that he began to dictate prices himself. He constantly invested in the development of his own company, constantly taking on smaller business partners. However, he never decided to sell the shares publicly. He wanted to control every aspect of his own business on his own, which he did with incredible detail.

Andrew Carnegie's steel mills, and especially the Homestead Works, purchased in 1883, began to be very popular, as the man had assumed. Thus, they also began to bring huge profits for Carnegie's company, counting in the millions of dollars. As a result, Andrew was able to buy most of the shares of Henry C. Frick's company, which imported coal to America. Carnegie and Frick soon became business partners. In 1892, Andrew merged his three steel plants into one, transforming it into the Carnegie Steel Company. Frick appointed the director of the concern, who was to be responsible for the current production from then on. What was Carnegie himself doing? He continued to invest money and devise new strategies for the expansion of the concern.

The businessman in America developed not only the industry but also transport. Carnegie's concern was built near the Great Lakes, where a whole fleet of merchant ships was built to transport raw materials and finished products. Had it not been for Carnegie's ability to select employees and his extraordinary investment sense, it would not have turned out so beautifully.

Even the economic crisis was not terrible for Andrew. As other companies collapsed, Carnegie continued to grow his business and was incredibly successful. In time, he even began to control the largest metallurgical enterprises in America. His concert Carnegie Steel Company turned into the largest producer of rails and cast iron in the United States. Carnegie then bought the Gomsted Metallurgical Plant (its largest competitor), becoming a monopolist in its industry. Thus, he also became the richest man in the world, who lived at the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries.

Andrew Carnegie also tried to pursue his career in other areas. He tried his hand at literature, writing articles about building a business for popular newspapers. He also regularly exchanged letters with ... presidents of the United States. As a wealthy man, he also began to invest in the development of culture and science, creating, inter alia, free libraries or donating money to a medical college in New York.

In 1892, a workers' strike broke out at the Carnegie Steel Company. They rebelled by drastically cutting weekly wages. Henry C. Frick refused to speak to the unions and refused to provide any comment on the matter. Instead, he brought in scabs, that is, people working at the time when others were on strike. He protected them, but despite this, there were serious riots, resulting in 9 deaths. About 100 strikers were seriously injured. Had it not been for the intervention of the militia, it could have resulted in an even greater tragedy.

What about Andrew Carnegie himself? He didn't say anything about it. He was on vacation in Scotland during the strike. He was heavily criticized by the trade unions for his silent attitude, losing in the eyes of the employees. He has assured them many times that he supports trade unions and defends their rights. It turned out, however, that in reality, these were just words thrown to the wind.

In 1901, Carnegie retired. At that time, with assets estimated at over USD 300 billion, he was considered the richest man in the world. Only later did John D. Rockefeller "bite" him. Like John D. Rockefeller, Andrew Carnegie spent a lot of money on a variety of social causes. It is estimated that he spent a total of over 350 million dollars for charity. For he used to say that "a man who dies rich dies disgraced."

Carnegie went out of his way to support his thesis. He financed, inter alia, around 3,000 public libraries, promoted English around the world, and opened the Carnegie Institute of Technology in Pittsburgh. On August 11, 1919, Andrew Carnegie died of bronchitis in New York City. However, he left behind many goods that are still used today by other people who dream of similar success.

Bibliography:

• Charles R. Morris: Giants. How Andrew Carnegie, John D. Rockefeller, Jay Gould, and J. P. Morgan Created the American Super Economy, Onepress Publishing House, Gliwice 2006
• David Nasaw: Andrew Carnegie, Penguin Books Publishing, 2006

THE MYSTERIES OF REINCARNATION - AN EXTRAORDINARY HISTORY OF THE SISTERS WHO ARE BORN

 The mysteries of life after death/reincarnation are one of the most complex and disturbing since the beginning of time. Over the centuries, many have tried to explain whether the soul or consciousness, after the death of the body, can incarnate into a new physical being. Although hundreds of studies have been conducted, it has not been possible to conclusively prove whether death is the end of existence, a break before another earthly life, or the introduction to eternity. One of the most famous examples of how the soul can be reborn is that of the Pollock sisters. The Pollock twins were English little girls who are often referred to as compelling evidence of reincarnation. The parents of the toddlers, John and Florence Pollock, lived in Hexham, England. They had two daughters, Joanna (11) and Jacqueline (6.5). Unfortunately, on May 5, 1957, both girls died in a car accident. Parents were understandably devastated.

John and Florence Pollock from Hexam, England, led a normal life with their two daughters; Jacqueline (6) and Joanne (11). While the parents were busy with the food business and the delivery of milk, the girls were raised mainly by their maternal grandmother. The sisters were inseparable, and Jacqueline was mother to Joanne, who used to say, "Ehhh ... I wish I could ever be a lady." It is not known if the girl had any senses, but on May 5, 1957, she left the earthly world.

On that Sunday morning, the girls and their friend Anthony were on their way to church when the three of them were hit by a drug-drugged woman. Desperate, after her own children were taken away, she decided to commit suicide. Witnesses saw her pull over at one point and hit the children who were unable to escape because of the wall on the other side of the sidewalk. The blow launched all three into the air. Joanna and Jacqueline died immediately, and their friend died on the way to the hospital. The perpetrator left the accident unscathed.

John and Florence were devastated at the loss of their beloved daughters, but tried to live on and, as devout Catholics, believed that through faith and prayer they would be blessed with another child. Their earnest pleas were answered. They soon found out that they would be parents again. Although the doctor made it clear that the pregnancy was single, reincarnation believer John stubbornly insisted that his deceased daughters would be reborn into the bodies of twins. As it turned out, his hunch hadn't fooled him at all. November 4, 1958, Gillian and Jennifer were born.

Florence became pregnant the following year and on October 4 she gave birth to twins, also girls. Gillian and Jennifer were almost identical twins but were slightly different. Jennifer had a birthmark on her waist that "matched" the birthmark worn by the late Jacqueline. She also had a mark on her forehead resembling a scar, and oddly enough, Jacqueline had the same.

Although the girls were identical twins, meaning they were nearly identical, there was something that distinguished them, namely, two different birthmarks. Jennifer had a birthmark on her waist like her late sister Jacqueline, and a second birthmark on her forehead where Jacqueline had a scar. It was quite amazing, which is why John, unlike his skeptical wife, became more and more convinced that Jennifer and Gillian were actually the reborn Jacqueline and Joanna.

When the twins were three months old, their parents moved to Whitley Bay. And this is where the strange story begins. Well, two years later, the girls started asking for toys that belonged to their older sisters, even though they had never seen them before! After the family returned to Hexham, the twins, although they had never been there, pointed to the sights and city attractions known to their older sisters. They also started to panic when they saw the moving cars, they were screaming then: "The car is coming and he wants to run us over!"

The amazing twins were finally noticed by Dr. Ian Stevenson (1918-2007), a psychologist who studied and researched childhood reincarnation. In 1987, he wrote a book called Children Who Remember Past Life: The Reincarnation Question, in which he described 14 reincarnation cases, including the Pollock girls. Stevenson studied reincarnation for 40 years. During that time, he investigated thousands of such cases. Most took place in Asian countries where many believe in it and preferred to conduct research in cultures where belief in reincarnation was widespread because parents who did not believe in reincarnation often discouraged their children from talking about their past lives. they were the most appreciative "subject" of research because they were less likely to make up stories about their past lives.

When the girls were 3 months old, the family moved to the port town of Whitley Bay. They did not return to Hexam until 4 years later, and it was then that the sisters discovered toys in the attic that belonged to the dead girls. Gillian claimed the doll belonged to Joanna, and Jennifer took care of the one that belonged to Jacqueline. To their parents' surprise, both truthfully stated that the dolls were a gift from Santa Claus.

One day, Florence overheard a conversation between her daughters about the accident. "Blood ran into your eyes when that car hit you," Gillian was talking to Jennifer ... John remembered that when he identified the body, Jacqueline's head had been fitted just above the eyes. What's more interesting, both girls also had a kind of phobia - they were terrified of cars. Moreover, they had the same habits as their older deceased sisters, the same way of speaking, and besides, one of them seemed older and the other agreed that her sister would take care of her.

The girls also began to pay attention to landmarks Joanne and Jacqueline knew, such as the school they attended or places where they used to play. They knew their old house and the inhabitants very well, and yet they moved out of Hexam when they were only 3 months old.

The twins' memories of their previous life began to fade when they turned 5 years old. According to scientists, 5 years is the age at which previous incarnations can be remembered. It is known that the twins led normal lives until 1981 when Gillian experienced a vision. She saw herself playing in the sandbox. She perfectly described the house, garden, orchard, and the whole neighborhood. It turned out that when Joanne was 4, the family was living in Whickham, where Gillian had never been.

The case of the twins Pollock caught the attention of a psychologist who was passionate about researching reincarnation cases in children. In 1987, Dr. Ian Stevenson wrote a book called “Children who remember past lives: the question of reincarnation. “There are 14 cases in the book, including that of the Pollock twins. Stevenson concludes that the Pollock sisters case is one of the strongest existing evidence for reincarnation.

Many people, like the father of girls, John Pollock, believe in reincarnation. It is a canonical principle of some religions such as Hinduism and Buddhism. The message of reincarnation is clear: people live more than once and do not suffer eternal punishment after death.

Does reincarnation really exist and is it real? Researchers such as Dr. Stevenson have been studying reincarnation for over 50 years at the University of Virginia. As mentioned before, they tend to work with children because the adults who claimed to be reincarnated may have been influenced by books, movies, and the like, influencing their imaginations. Dr. Stevenson described a case in which a psychologist hypnotized a woman. The doctor's patient described her life as a courtier of Richard II, in the 14th century. It turned out that the woman had read a novel set at the court of Richard II a few years earlier, and many details of her "past life" came from that book.

However, it is very difficult to explain reincarnation cases involving young children. Some of them, while unconfirmed, are surprising. James Leininger was born in 1998 in San Francisco. When the boy was less than 2 years old, he began to have nightmares about plane crashes. These unpleasant dreams were caused by memories of his past life as a WWII pilot. James was even able to tell his parents about airplanes from that era, including their markings, colors, and even technical details of their construction! - and it should be added that his parents were not fans of the Second World War and did not have any materials on this subject at home.

It seems strange that such young children can have memories that seem to be their own. The Pollock twins are just one of many examples that somehow confirm reincarnation. Ancient cultures, which to this day are convinced that it exists, give us a spark of hope and comfort us that if our loved one passes away, they can come back to our family in a different form.

They bought their dream house and started getting scary letters. The family ran away from home via the Observer's letters.

 "I am glad that I learned your names, as well as the names of the young blood that you brought to me," wrote the mysterious "Observer". The family started getting threatening letters just a week after she moved into the house. They received their first letter just three days after the purchase was finalized. The author signed the name of the Observer, and indeed, he was closely watching the Broaddus home. He knew how many children they had and announced that when he knew the names of their children, he would "bring them to him". He was glad to see "young blood." He followed their every move.

The Broaddus family bought their dream home in June 2014 and after renovation, they wanted to move in, but after receiving a terrifying letter from an anonymous sender, everything changed

Derek and Maria had three children who the stranger wrote about "young blood". "Have you filled the house with young blood, as I asked?" asked the stranger in the letter and announced that soon he would "call the children to him".

As a result, the family never moved into a house worth over PLN 1 million, and over the years tried unsuccessfully to sell it, while the story grew louder.

It has been hailed as one of the strangest stories ever heard, and Netflix is ​​making a series based on it.

A story straight from an American horror film happened to a family living in Westfield, New Jersey. Threatening letters began regularly arriving at the address of the house where a married couple with three young children had moved in. They were all signed "Observer". The family received the first of them on June 5, 2014. The broadcaster informed the new tenants that "the house is under surveillance". Later in the letter he wrote: “Where are you? I will find out. I asked [the previous owners] to give me young blood ... I will know your names and I will draw you to me. " In the months that followed, the news grew ever more ominous. "Who lives in rooms with windows facing the street? If I find out who occupies each bedroom, I will be able to plan everything better "- wrote" Observer ".

It could be a really good horror movie script, but it was written by life itself. In June 2014, the Broaddus family purchased a home at 657 Boulevard in Westfield, New Jersey. It was a dream come true for over one million dollars. Six bedrooms, a quiet neighborhood well known to Maria Broaddus, whose family home was just a few streets away. Her husband, Derek Broaddus, was also pleased with the purchase, and he was glad that shortly after his 40th birthday he was able to provide a safe haven for his wife and three children. However, it quickly turned out that the purchase was not related to safety, on the contrary. Three days of the couple's presence in this place was enough to destroy their peace. And it all started with a letter.

In another letter, he asked the question, "Have you already discovered what is hidden in the walls"? The family reported the matter to the police, but the police were unable to identify the perpetrator. Then the marriage decided to move out. Soon after, a lawsuit was filed with the court against the previous owners of the property. The couple says their predecessors deliberately concealed the house's history, especially the fact that it became the target of the "Observer," "the mentally disturbed individual claiming property."

In another letter, he asked the question, "Have you already discovered what is hidden in the walls"? The family reported the matter to the police, but the police were unable to identify the perpetrator. Then the marriage decided to move out. Soon after, a lawsuit was filed with the court against the previous owners of the property. The couple say their predecessors deliberately concealed the house's history, especially the fact that it became the target of the "Observer," "the mentally disturbed individual claiming property."

Derek hadn't expected to find anything interesting in his letterbox, some flyers at most, and they hadn't even moved in yet. He had come with Maria to oversee the work before the official move, but he was home alone that particular day. In the evening he decided to check the box, maybe out of curiosity, may be out of boredom.

To his surprise, he found a letter inside and it was addressed to "new neighbors". It began with an innocent sentence: "Let me welcome you to the neighborhood." Derek continued reading with interest, but quickly regretted opening the envelope at all.

"How did you get here? Did the power of the house draw you to it?" - asked the anonymous addressee of the letter. And then he explained that the house at 657 Boulevard had been of interest to his family for decades. "Now the house is approaching its 110th birthday. My grandfather watched it in the 1920s, my father watched it in the 1960s, and now it's my turn. Do you know the history of this house? Do you know what is inside its walls? Why here? are you? I'll find out.

The author of the letter must have been observing the house, because he knew that there were already workers inside, carrying out renovation works. He didn't like that. "You are destroying the house, it shouldn't be like that. Bad move. You don't want to make it unhappy," he commented.

The worst part was about the children of Derek and Maria. It was he who made my father's heart stop.

"You have children. I've seen them. I've counted three so far. Will you fill the house with young blood as I asked? Was your old house too small for your growing family? Or is it greed that brought your children to me? When will I know their names? I'll call them to myself. "

The observer counted the children well. There were three of them aged 5, 8, and 10. They have not moved into the house yet but were to see him. Only once so far. This indicated that the author of the letter was not joking at all, and if he did, then he was very much involved.

"Who am I? Hundreds of cars pass this way every day. Maybe I am in one of them. Look at the windows that you can see from 657 Boulevard. Maybe I am in one of them. You will pay attention to all the people who walk around during the day. one of them".

"Hello, my friends. Let the party begin" - the author who signed as "The Watcher" ends his letter.

After reading the letter, a terrified Derek ran into the house, feeling the stranger's eyes on him. He turned off all the lights in the house, knowing that the writer of the letter could be watching him. Later he decided to call the police. This is how the whole family's nightmare began, which did not end soon. The policemen who had arrived after Derek had been called were dismayed by the contents of the letter. They asked if Derek had enemies, someone to wish his family ill. But this one could not name anyone. After returning to the old house, he told his wife everything. Together, they decided to contact the previous owners of the house on 657 Boulevard, the Woods, from whom they had bought the house. And ask them about the Watcher.

Andrea Woods admitted that they had received a strange letter from the Observer just before the move. However, it was the first such event in 23 years, which they spent at 657 Boulevard. Andrea did not care about the letter and threw it into the trash.

Derek and Maria wondered what to do next? The police did not underestimate the matter and instructed them not to tell anyone about the strange letter and to keep a close eye on the neighbors. They were the ones suspected of having a strange welcome "joke", which, however, made no one laugh.

The Broaddus family continued to renovate their new home, and their children began to visit more often. Parents trembled for their children and did not take their eyes off them. They functioned in a state of increased vigilance. When one of their new neighbors said it was "good to have young blood in the neighborhood," red warning lights came on immediately. Is it the Observer?

Two weeks after receiving the first strange letter, another one arrived. The observer did not let go and continued to watch their property closely. He had already found out their last names, even though he had made a mistake. He addressed the letter to Mr. and Mrs. Braddus instead of Broaddus. He also learned the names and nicknames of children, as well as their favorite activities. For example, he knew that Derek and Maria's daughter liked to paint.

Does young blood play in the basement? Or maybe she's too afraid to go down there alone. If they were, I would be very scared. It is very far from the rest of the house. If you had been upstairs then, you would never have heard the screams of the children.

After this letter, Derek and Maria stopped taking the kids to their new home. They were no longer sure if the move would take place. After some time, another, third letter arrived. The observer asked where the whole family was. "657 Boulevard misses you," he wrote.

Derek and Maria were watching each of their neighbors closely. A few days after receiving the first letter, they were invited to a barbecue with one of the families living in the area. If it weren't for the letter, they probably would have been having a good time. They were warmly welcomed, the children had the opportunity to meet their peers as if everything was fine. But Derek kept wondering if there was an Observer among the guests.

Some neighbors especially caught his attention. They lived across from them and seemed strange. In addition, what he heard from a neighbor matched the Observer's letters. His family had also lived in Westfield for generations. Derek told everything to the police, and the police interrogated the indicated neighbor, who, to put it mildly, was shocked. Then it turned out that he had nothing to do with the letters.

The police seemed helpless and the fear in the family grew until they had three letters in which someone had threatened their children. Derek became particularly involved in the case, feeling he had to protect his loved ones from the Watcher. The home was the Observer's obsession with the house, he later told a New York Times journalist who wrote a large report on the case. And Derek's obsession was the Watcher.

The family hired a private investigator, installed cameras, and sometimes Derek watched the area himself at night, hoping to stumble upon the Watcher. However, this did not happen. After several months of renovation works, the house was ready to welcome the whole family. Only the family was not ready to move anymore. Maria and Derek were terrified of the thought that their children might live in it.

They did not want to endanger them but had to leave their old house, which they had already sold. So they decided to move to Maria's parents, and at the same time had to pay 657 Boulevard. So it wasn't a solution for long. What to do? Maria and Derek were in a deteriorating condition - she started seeing a therapist who diagnosed her with post-traumatic stress disorder. He began to suffer from depression.

Finally, the therapist told Maria that they had to get rid of the house or they would never have peace again.

The family tried to sell the house. The decision was made six months after the house was purchased and three letters from the Observer. It was not that simple, however, because, despite the fact that the family did not tell anyone about the letters, various rumors began to circulate. One of the real estate agents wrote that he had a willing buyer, but he had doubts because he heard that someone dangerous might be on the loose in the area.

Maria and Derek were honest and decided to share excerpts from their letters with people interested in buying the house. They promised to show the full versions to those who make the final decision. But the passages were enough to deter all potential buyers. Even the significant reduction in the price of the house did not help.

In 2015, the Broaddus family brought up against the wall, decided to sue the former owners of the house - John and Andrea Woods, who, in their opinion, concealed from them the fact that someone had an unhealthy interest in the house and could be dangerous for its new residents. The case was dismissed, however, and the Broaddus family was back on the square.

Two years after receiving the first Observer's letter, the family borrowed money from loved ones and bought another home in Westfield. Derek wanted to leave town, but Maria insisted they stay. She said the Watcher had already taken too much from them, and she did not want to leave the place where she had grown up.

The case of the Woods family meant that the case grew high. It has even been hailed by the American media as one of the strangest stories ever heard. No wonder it deserved the name. The chance to sell the observed house decreased and it was only possible after many years because in mid-2019 the family received less than a million for it, so they lost at least half a million zlotys. But she regained her composure.

To this day, it is not known who the Observer is. And we will probably never find out again. Why was he suddenly silent? Why did he start writing letters at all? These questions will remain unanswered. The terrifying story inspires the creators to this day. Netflix has bought the rights to it and is preparing a miniseries about it.

Tupac Shakur - the story of the most influential rapper of the 20th century

 Tupac Shakur is a famous musician from New York who was one of the most influential rappers around the world. 2Pac was also known as an amazing poet and actor. Which of Tupac's most popular songs is? What was the rapper's solo career like? When was the attack on 2Pac aka Makaveli? Here is the biography of the famous Tupac Shakur.

Tupac was born on June 16, 1971, in Manhattan, a famous neighborhood in New York City. Interestingly, he was first called Lesane Parish Crooks, but later his mother changed his name - the boy took the surname of his stepfather. Tupac had an older half-brother, Mopreme. He also had a sister who was 2 years younger than him, Sekyiwa. Tupac's biological father was Billy Garland, and his mother was Afeni Shakur. They were both active in the Black Panther Party in New York to fight to protect the African American minority in the US. A month before Tupac was born, his mother was tried in New York - linked to the Black Panther Party. She was charged with over 150 counts, of which she was, however, acquitted. Tupac's stepfather (Mutulu Shakur) took part in the robbery, robbing over $ 1.6 million. He did not finish his sentence until 2016. So you can guess that Tupac did not have an easy childhood at all.

Tupac Shakur and his family moved to Baltimore in 1984. He attended Roland Park High School first and Paul Laurence Dunbar High School later. He later studied poetry as well as acting, ballet, and jazz. Interestingly, Shakur has acted as an actor in Shakespearean plays. He was very sociable and liked among his colleagues. In 1988, Tupac moved with his family to California, without finishing his previous school - to a city near San Francisco. He later studied at Tamalpais High School, where he also played in many theatrical productions. Soon after, he made friends, incl. with Mike Tyson and started meeting more and more people who listened to hip-hop and lived the streets.

Tupac's mother became addicted to drugs when Mutulu Shakur (her then-husband) was imprisoned. In this way, she wanted to drown out the pain associated with the long imprisonment of her beloved. Tupac was struggling to see his mother fall into an increasing drug trance. So 2Pac left his mother and moved to live with his friends from the neighborhood. In 1990, his friend (Leila Steinberg) introduced Tupac from Digital Underground. Young Shakur was an artistic soul and showed great talent for rapping and dancing. Shakur made his debut on the band's EP with "Same Song", calling himself the name Rebel of the Underground.

Tupac's first solo album, 2Pacalypse Now (late 1991), was released shortly after. The artist showed himself not only as an excellent musician and rapper but also a poet - writing very thoughtful and heart-touching lyrics. The most famous singles from this album were "Trapped" and "Brenda's Got A Baby". Tupac also performed well at that time as an actor in the film "Juice" (directed by Ernest Dickerson). He played the role of a ghetto murderer (Bishop), which still arouses controversy among fans today. They wonder if 2 Pac really just acted in the movie or was he just… himself in it? There was also a loud sue by Tupac for the city of Oakland - reportedly, the rapper was beaten up by the policemen when he incautiously crossed the road. Tupac wanted 10 million in damages but ended up with $42,000.

Tupac later recorded more albums, but the growing fame led to more gangster episodes - like the famous fight with rapper Dimitris Striplin, during which there was a shooting. One of the bullets (fired by Tupac) accidentally fatally injured a 6-year-old boy. The artist paid the family huge compensation, trying to silence the matter. Despite the controversy surrounding the subject, Tupac received a Grammy nomination for Best Newbie in 1993. That same year, he also starred with Janet Jackson in "Poetic Justice - A Film About Love." At that time, he also released a second album, which quickly went platinum.

The discography of the artist's lifetime is not very extensive. Of course, not because Tupac had too little material - many of the albums were released after the rapper's death, so he had a lot of recorded songs. His solo career was interrupted by the murder of the artist. That is why today we can only enjoy Tupac's four albums, recorded during the rapper's lifetime:

• 1991 - 2Pacalypse Now
• 1993 - Strictly 4 My N.I.G.G.A.Z.
• 1995 - Me Against the World
• 1996 - All Eyez on Me

In late 1993, a 19-year-old woman sued Tupac Shakur, accusing him and two other people of sexual harassment and rape. In 1994, another Shakur movie, Over the Ring, was released. In the same course, a verdict was also passed in the case of a molested girl. Tupac was accused of sexually abusing a 19-year-old and sentenced to 1.5 to 4 years in prison. However, the day before the sentence was announced, an event occurred that had a significant impact on the rapper's life. On November 30, 1994, he was shot five times. His money (about $ 40,000) and jewelry were also stolen from him. Just 3 hours after the operation, Tupac discharged himself from the hospital at his own request - fearing for his own life. To this day, it is not known why the shooting took place and who wished Tupac so badly that he escaped from the hospital without regenerating. Shakur was accused of ordering the murder of his greatest rivals - Notorious B.I.G. and P. Diddy. This event started a war between West Coast (Death Row Records) and East Coast (Bad Boy Records). Tupac belonged to the West Coast.

On February 15, 1995, Tupac Shakur began serving his sentence at the Clinton Correctional Facility. Then his third album was released, which was covered with double platinum. The album Me Against the World was definitely dominated by the single "Dear Mama", which still enjoys great recognition among fans of hip-hop sounds. Seven months before his death, Tupac released his last album during his lifetime, which was also the first double album in hip-hop history. The songs were recorded in just two weeks, although there were 27 of them. It was 2Pac's most profitable album, and the track hummed from this album to this day is "California Love" with Dr. Dre. The artist also starred in many different films during this period and was preparing for the premiere of his next album. Shakur also wanted to open his own label, Makaveli Records. However, he did not live to see it.

On September 7, 1996, Tupac arrived in Las Vegas to watch his friend Mike Tyson fight, Bruce Seldon. After the end of the sporting event, Shakur left the MGM Grand Hotel where the fight was taking place. After exiting the building, Shakur's team beat up Orlando "Baby Lane" Anderson of the hostile Southside Crips gang (because he had stolen the gold chain from one of the employees of the label Tupac worked for). The crew got into the luxury cars and set off with the screeching of tires. When they stopped in front of the Maxim Hotel at a red light, there was a famous shooting.

In a black BMW 750 sat Marion "Suge Knight" (he was the one who bailed for 2Pac in jail) along with Shakur. Suddenly, a white Cadillac appeared on the right side of the BMW car, which fired 12 shots from an unknown perpetrator. 2Pac got two bullets in the chest, one in the finger (which was partially shot off), one in the shoulder, and one in the pelvis. Despite prompt medical intervention, the rapper left 6 days later at the University Medical Center. 2Pac's biography ended with murder, as a result of which the rapper died on September 13, 1996.

But Tupac's death did not stop him from being silent about him - quite the contrary. After the rapper's death, a few more albums were released as 2Pac was an exceptionally prolific rapper artistically. With Death Row Records, he managed to record a huge number of songs, which later appeared on the next albums of the late musician. There are so many of them that some fans still have doubts - believing that Tupac Shakur did not die at all. Here are all of 2Pac's posthumous albums:

• 1996 - The Don Killuminati: The 7 Day Theory (as Makaveli)
• 1997 - R U Still Down? (Remember Me)
• 2001 - Until the End of Time
• 2002 - Better Dayz
• 2004 - Loyal to the Game
• 2006 - Pac's Life

Bibliography:

• Jacob Hoye: Tupac. Tupac Jacob Hoye, Simon & Schuster Publishing, New York 2006
• Shakur Tupac: The Rose That Grew on Concrete, Kagra Publishing House Krzysztof Grausz, Poznań 2000
• Scott Cathy: The Life and Death of Tupac Shakur, Kagra Publishing House Krzysztof Grausz, Poznań 2003

Martial law in Poland (1981)

 On the night of December 12-13, 1981 martial law was imposed. Power in Poland was taken over by a military junta led by General Wojciech Jaruzelski. The goal of the communist regime was to destroy the multi-million-strong "Solidarity" movement. A military coup d'état cost the lives of at least several dozen Poles.

The establishment of NSZZ "Solidarity" was a breach of the communist system. It was considered a bloodless revolution by many Western commentators. In the Kremlin, the creation of "Solidarity" was considered a defeat for "Polish comrades", which was to be repaired by all available means. On September 3, 1980, the Soviet authorities prepared guidelines for the new leadership of the Polish United Workers' Party. It was recommended to "prepare a counterattack" aimed at "returning to lost positions in the working class." The assumption of the USSR was to destroy the "Solidarity" movement with the forces of Polish communists.

Preparations for the introduction of martial law were supervised by the commander-in-chief of the Warsaw Pact troops, Marshal of the USSR, Wiktor Kulikow, and his staff officers. From the beginning, however, work was carried out in the General Staff of the Polish Army. Already on October 22, 1980, that is before the formal registration of NSZZ "Solidarność", the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers' Party asked the General Staff to appoint a team that would prepare plans in the event of a general strike organized by "S". On the same day, at the staff meeting, it was decided to develop the assumptions for the "introduction of martial law for the sake of state security". At the same time, a scenario of direct intervention by the Warsaw Pact states was being prepared in the Kremlin. It was to be carried out on the basis of the great "Alliance-80" maneuvers scheduled for December 1980. Ultimately, as a result of US diplomatic pressure and assurances from the PRL authorities that they would "manage on their own", Leonid Brezhnev decided to recall them.

For the purposes of martial law, various legal acts were drafted, 100,000 copies were printed in the Soviet Union. copies of the announcement on the introduction of martial law, lists of military commissioners to take control of the state administration and larger workplaces, and selected institutions and enterprises that were to be militarized.

Since mid-October, over a thousand Military Field Operational Groups have been familiarizing themselves with the area of ​​future activities. ZOMO units underwent intensive exercises in fighting the crowd. In prisons, places have been prepared for nearly 5,000. activists of "Solidarity" and the opposition who were to be interned on the basis of lists drawn up from the beginning of 1981. An element of preparations for martial law was also changed at the top of the PRL regime. On October 18, 1981, General Wojciech Jaruzelski was elected the new First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers' Party. Thus, he concentrated his hand's control over the government, the party, and the army. It was favored by the growing tiredness of society caused by the permanent crisis and declining support for "Solidarity". Historian prof. Andrzej Paczkowski, in his recently reissued book, "Wojna Polska-Jaruzelska", believes that "S", the opposition, and the Church were not prepared for the imposition of martial law.

At the beginning of December 1981, the leadership of "Solidarity" was aware of the sudden increase in tension, but it was hoped that a confrontation with the communist authorities would only take place after the Sejm adopted the government law "On extraordinary measures in the interest of protecting citizens and the state". Many of the S's top activists, convinced of their strength and popular support, made overly optimistic political forecasts. Jacek Kuroń believed that General Jaruzelski would withdraw his hand at the last moment "in his own way". Some, incl. Janusz Pałubicki, they thought that the militia would not come out against the workers and would perhaps go over to their side. Only a small number of activists, mainly local ones, decided to secure funds and printing machines. After December 13, they turned out to be invaluable for underground structures.

The decision to introduce martial law was approved on December 5, 1981, by the Political Bureau of the Central Committee of the Polish United Workers' Party. Jaruzelski was free to choose a specific date for the commencement of the operation from his party comrades. On the night of December 8-9, 1981, during a meeting with Marshal Kulikov, who was staying in Warsaw, General Jaruzelski informed him about the planned activities but did not give a specific date of their commencement.

The course of this meeting is known from the note of Marshal Kulikov's adjutant, General Wiktor Anoszkin. It shows that Jaruzelski asked the Soviets for military support after the imposition of martial law if public resistance was massive. “Strikes are the best option for us. The workers will remain where they are. It will be worse if they leave their workplaces and begin to devastate party committees, organize street demonstrations, etc. If this is to spread to the whole country, you will have to help us. We cannot cope alone, ”argued the leader of the People's Republic of Poland.

Marshal Kulikov replied: "If you do not have enough of your forces, you will probably have to use Shield-81 [this code name was probably hidden behind the Warsaw Pact operation plan in Poland]". And he added: "The Polish Army will probably cope with this handful of revolutionaries on its own." Jaruzelski then noted that "eg. Katowice has about 4 million inhabitants. This is Finland, and there are no troops, apart from the anti-aircraft defense division. That's why we won't be able to do it without help. " Kulikov avoided an unequivocal answer. He said that "you should use your own abilities first," and asked if he could report to his supervisor that "you have made a decision to go ahead with the plan." In response, Jaruzelski replied: "Yes, as long as you help us." Kulikov did not react to these words. On December 11, the Soviet leaders were informed about the date of the imposition of martial law.

The military coup d'état began on the evening of December 12, 1981. Even before midnight, units of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, consisting of special groups, ZOMO units, anti-terrorist units, SB officers, and units of the Vistula Units began operations with the support of the army.

As part of the "Azalia" operation, the forces of the Ministry of the Interior and the Polish Armed Forces seized the facilities of Polish Radio and Television and blocked domestic and foreign connections in telecommunications centers. As part of the operation code-named Jodła, groups of militiamen and SB officers began interning Solidarity activists and leaders of the political opposition.

ZOMO branches seized the premises of the regional boards of "Solidarity", arresting the people there and securing the found communication and printing devices. Armored and mechanized units were sent to the cities, which were located at the most important communication junctions, offices, and other strategic facilities. Arrests were carried out among independent intellectuals, including the organizers and participants of the Congress of Polish Culture in Warsaw.

The main blow took place in Gdańsk, where the National Commission of NSZZ "Solidarność" met on Saturday and where many union activists and advisers stayed. About 30 members of the National Commission and several advisers were detained in Gdańsk during the night. Only a few managed to avoid arrest.

At one o'clock in the morning, members of the State Council, formally the highest authority, gathered in Belweder Palace. Most of them, however, did not know what the purpose of this night council was. After an hour and a half of deliberations, the members of the Council of State adopted the decree on the introduction of martial law and the accompanying documents, only the PAX chairman, Ryszard Reiff, voted against. All adopted documents were backdated and dated December 12, 1981. The decree on the introduction of martial law was inconsistent with the law in force at that time, because the Council of State could issue decrees only between sessions of the Seym. Meanwhile, such a session was ongoing, and the next session of the chamber was scheduled for 15 and 16 December.

Most Poles found out about the introduction of martial law only in the morning. Just after 6:00 a.m., Polish Radio broadcast the speech by Wojciech Jaruzelski for the first time. A few hours later, it was also aired on both TV programs.

Lech Wałęsa, the chairman of "Solidarity", was treated in a special way by the authors of martial law. The authorities hoped that they would be able to use it politically. At around two o'clock in the morning, the voivode of Gdańsk, Jerzy Kołodziejski, and the first secretary of the Gdańsk Voivodeship Committee of the Polish United Workers' Party, Tadeusz Fiszbach, a member of the Political Bureau, appeared in his apartment. They informed Wałęsa about the introduction of martial law, stating that he should go to Warsaw immediately for talks with representatives of the authorities. In the end, Wałęsa stated that he was agreeing to go to Warsaw under duress. The chairman of "S" rejected the cooperation proposals presented to him. He was interned and isolated from other Solidarity activists. After his stay in Chylice and Otwock, he was finally placed in the government center in Arłamów.

The few leaders of "Solidarity" who avoided detention, incl. Zbigniew Bujak, Władysław Frasyniuk, Bogdan Borusewicz, Aleksander Hall, Tadeusz Jedynak, Bogdan Lis and Eugeniusz Szumiejko began to create underground structures under extremely difficult conditions.

In total, about 5,000 people were interned in the first days of martial law. people who were held in 49 isolation centers across the country. During the martial law, the total number of internees reached 10,000, and a significant part of the national and regional Solidarity leaders, advisers, members of factory commissions of large factories, activists of the democratic opposition, and intellectuals associated with "S" were imprisoned. For propaganda purposes, several dozen people from the previous team in power were also detained, incl. Edward Gierek, Piotr Jaroszewicz and Edward Babiuch.

On the basis of the decree on martial law, basic civil rights and freedoms were suspended, ad hoc procedures were introduced in courts, strikes and demonstrations were forbidden, the police and the army could legitimize anyone and search citizens. A curfew has been introduced from 22 to 6 am, and a pass was needed for trips away from home. The correspondence was officially censored, telephones were turned off, preventing, inter alia, calling an ambulance and fire brigade. Most of the most important institutions and workplaces were militarized and were managed by over 8,000 people. military commissioners. The publishing of the press, apart from the "People's Tribune" and "Żołnierzem Wolności", was suspended. The activities of all social and cultural organizations were suspended, as well as classes in schools and universities.

The formal "architect" of martial law was the twenty-one-person Military Council for National Salvation headed by General Jaruzelski. In practice, however, it was a façade body, but without any legal basis, usurping the right to sovereignty over other authorities. The most important decisions during the martial law period were made by an informal group of military and party members known as the directorate. Apart from Jaruzelski, it was composed of: general Florian Siwicki (deputy minister of national defense), general Czesław Kiszczak (minister of internal affairs), general MO Mirosław Milewski (secretary of the Central Committee), Mieczysław F. Rakowski (deputy prime minister), Kazimierz Barcikowski (secretary of the Central Committee) ) and Stefan Olszowski (secretary of the Central Committee).

On December 14, independent occupation strikes began in many large industrial plants. Steel mills protested, including the largest in the country "Katowice" and the Lenin, most mines, ports, shipyards in the Tri-City and Szczecin, the largest factories, such as WSK in Świdnik, Dolmel and Pafawag in Wrocław, Ursus in Warsaw, and Zakłady Przemysłu Materiałowego named Marchlewski in Łódź. A total of 199 plants were struck (in 50 there were strike committees), for nearly 7,000. enterprises existing in Poland at that time. The authorities found the scale of social opposition relatively small and manageable with the available means.

Strikes were brutally pacified in dozens of plants with the help of ZOMO units and the army equipped with heavy equipment. Strikes in mines in Upper Silesia were particularly dramatic, where miners put up active resistance. On December 16, 1981, in the "Wujek" Coal Mine, during several hours of fighting, militiamen used firearms, killing nine miners. On December 23, with the support of tanks and a helicopter landing, the strike at Huta Katowice was suppressed. The protests in the mines "Ziemowit" (until December 24) and "Piast" (until December 28) lasted the longest, in which it was decided to strike underground.

By introducing martial law, the communist authorities decided not to attack the Church directly. From the very beginning, Primate Józef Glemp appealed for peace and an end to fratricidal fights, demanding at the same time the release of the internees and those arrested and a return to dialogue with Solidarity. On December 13, in a sermon delivered at the Sanctuary of Our Lady of Graces in Warsaw, he appealed to avoid bloodshed: "I will call for a reason even at the cost of exposure to insults and I will ask, even if I have to walk barefoot and on my knees to beg: do not fight a Pole against a Pole".

The United States and other Western countries opposed the imposition of martial law. On December 23, 1981, US President Ronald Reagan announced economic sanctions against the People's Republic of Poland, and a few days later announced that they would also apply to the Soviet Union, which, in his opinion, was "seriously and directly responsible for the repression." In the following weeks, other Western countries joined the sanctions against Poland, although some governments considered the imposition of martial law as "the lesser evil" and avoided the risk of destabilizing the situation in the People's Republic of Poland.

On December 31, 1982, martial law was suspended, and on July 22, 1983, it was recalled while retaining part of the repressive legislation. The exact number of people who died as a result of the imposition of martial law is not known. The presented lists of victims range from several dozen to over a hundred names. The number of people who lost their health during this period as a result of persecution, beatings during investigations or street demonstrations, or as a result of the inability to call for help due to blocked telephone connections, is also unknown.

The death of Grzegorz Przemyk. Manipulation process

 The murder of Grzegorz Przemyk was one of the most famous communist crimes of the 1980s. The propaganda campaign, the aim of which was to blame the death of the ambulance workers, was for the public testimony to the cynicism of the regime.

In the afternoon of May 12, 1983, three students of the Andrzej Frycz-Modrzewski - Grzegorz Przemyk, Cezary Filozof and Jakub Kotański. They were going to celebrate passing the high school diploma. After reaching ul. Świętojańska, Grzegorz jumped on a piggyback much shorter Cezary. After walking a few steps, they fell onto the pavement. A group of colleagues attracted the attention of the crew of the police car standing at Castle Square and the ZOMO officers. Two of them identified Grzegorz and his colleagues. Przemyk did not have an ID card with him. So the Zomowcy demanded that he go with them to a nearby police station. He asked his colleagues for his mother to provide the militia with an ID card. Cezary the Philosopher decided that he would not leave his friend alone and go with him to the police station. At the entrance to the police car, Przemyk was hit several times with a truncheon. Around 17.30 they arrived at the police station at ul. Jezuicka.

The events of the next minutes are known mainly from the account by Cezary the Philosopher. Immediately after entering the police station, one of the policemen identified Cezary, and another hit Przemyk in the face, stating that he would "teach him to carry papers". Przemyk replied that martial law was no longer in force and that there was no obligation to carry documents. Moments later two zomowców entered the room. The personal details of one of them are unknown to this day. The second was Ireneusz Kościuk. The slicker lunged towards him as he prepared to deliver the first blow. At this point, another policeman, Arkadiusz Denkiewicz, burst in and ordered his colleagues to beat "so that there were no traces". Przemyk's screams were heard outside the police station when Jakub Kotański arrived there with his ID card. Finally he decided to go inside. He noticed that the policemen were extremely nervous. About this time, one of them, inspector Roman Gembarowski, decided to call an ambulance. Talking to the dispatcher, he stated that the detainee was probably mentally disturbed.

At about 6 p.m., an ambulance arrived in front of the police station, the team of which consisted of two paramedics - Michał Wysocki and Jacek Szyzdek. When they entered the police station, Przemyk was sitting in a chair, his friend shouting at one of the policemen. The rest of the Zom members suggested to the paramedics that the detainee was a drug addict, but there were no signs of a syringe puncture on his hands. They both guessed that the high school graduate was simulating a mental illness in order to get out of the police station. In the ambulance, they suggested they knew he was a simulator and would take him home. Przemyk was silent. He only spoke when they reached the emergency building on Hoża Street. On the spot, Przemyk's condition deteriorated so much that he was unable to walk on his own. The summoned psychiatrist decided that Przemyk should be taken to a psychiatric hospital. At this point, the beaten's mother appeared at the clinic and, seeing that he had no visible injuries, demanded that he be taken home.

The next day, his condition worsened so much that Barbara Sadowska called an ambulance, and then a doctor she knew, who recognized the symptoms of internal hemorrhage. Enormous internal injuries were found in the hospital in Solec. One of the doctors told Barbara Sadowska that her son had no chance of survival. Grzegorz Przemyk died on May 14 at 1:15 pm. His funeral in Warsaw's Powązki cemetery was a manifestation of resistance to the communist regime.

On May 16, 1983, his mother quoted in an interview for a correspondent of the American television ABC the words she heard when she was imprisoned in the Rakowiecka prison in Warsaw a year earlier: "You, Sadowska, we cannot move, but we will take care of your son." Grzegorz Przemyk permeated the atmosphere typical of anti-communist activists' homes. He was interested in poetry published in the underground and the music listened to in those circles. From the second half of the 1960s, his mother's apartment was a meeting place for artists reluctant to communist rule. From 1976, Barbara Sadowska was monitored by the SB as part of the operational investigation of the "Parisian". The pretext was an attempt to transport literature from émigré to Poland. In March 1982, Sadowska again found herself in the circle of the security services. During the party on the occasion of Grzegorz's name day, the police burst into the apartment in search of tissue paper. Sadowska was arrested and released only after two weeks. On the same pretext, she was arrested on April 29, 1983. On May 3, the Nazis stormed the seat of the Primate's Committee for Aid to People Deprived of Freedom and their Families in the Franciscan convent in the Old Town, demolished its premises and beat up opposition activists. Sadowska's finger was broken and there were threats that "something" might happen to her son.

Among the reasons for the aggression of the Zom members against Grzegorz Przemyk, not only the opposition activity of his mother was indicated, but also the sympathies of the students of the high school, which he and his friends attended, in solidarity. During the Carnival of "Solidarity", young people from Frycz-Modrzewski were active in the sejmik of student self-governments. The so-called silent breaks. High school students had already been detained by the police in demonstrations of "Solidarity". A few days after Przemyk's death, his friend from a parallel class, Wojciech Cejrowski, was also beaten.

According to historians investigating the Przemyk case, the authorities almost immediately launched a disinformation campaign to wash away the responsibility from the policemen. On May 16, the prosecutor's office launched an investigation into manslaughter. Three days later, after a meeting with the prosecutor general, Henryk Pracki, deputy prosecutor general, took over the course of the investigation. From then on, the entire investigation was controlled by the Ministry of the Interior. In the following weeks, Pracki spoke many times with the head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, General Czesław Kiszczak. Among those supervising the investigation was General Mirosław Milewski, the secretary of the Central Committee for the administration of justice. He was one of the most dangerous and ferocious enemies of Kiszczak. In response to Milewski's attacks, Kiszczak decided to engage government propaganda. On June 30, in a letter to the spokesman of the council of ministers, Jerzy Urban, he wrote that the witnesses saw the brutal behavior of paramedics towards Przemyk. On the same day, the MO commandant stated that there were no grounds for accusing the militiamen.

The MO reports also tried to create an unambiguous image of Grzegorz Przemyk's environment. In the media, Barbara Sadowska was supposed to be an "alcoholic", and Cezary the Philosopher, "a drug addict and a representative of the social margin." Analyzes of the militia "indicated" also a tendency to brutality manifested by orderly Michał Wysocki. "The Ministry of the Interior wants to prove at all costs that the policemen are innocent," wrote Mieczysław F. Rakowski in his diary after an interview with the prosecutor general of the Polish People's Republic, Franciszek Rusek, who complained that Kiszczak's officers treated his subordinates with great contempt. Rakowski rightly assessed the intentions of the Ministry of the Interior. Kiszczak's note has survived in the case files: "There is to be only one version of the investigation - paramedics."

At the same time, the case was gaining international attention. In June, Barbara Sadowska was received in audience by Pope John Paul II. The US ambassador to the United Nations spoke about the murder. “There was a surprisingly harmonious and, as always, harmonious chorus of protests at home and abroad. All this in order to make one more Polish tragedy to make one's own political capital "- wrote in" Życie Warszawy "from 23 July 1983. According to Cezary Łazarewicz, the author of the report" Let there be no traces ", the author of the words from the newspaper was Col. Romuald Zajkowski from The Ministry of the Interior, which admitted years later that it often prepared materials ready for printing for the press. The propaganda response was also an increase in the number of reports and television programs devoted to the effectiveness of the militia in the fight against crime.

The formal culmination of the long process of building a lie was the trial of paramedics accused of beating Grzegorz Przemyk. On July 16, 1984, Michał Wysocki was sentenced to two and a half years in prison, and Jacek Szyzdek - one and a half years. They both regained their freedom under the amnesty of July 21, 1984. The doctor Barbara Makowska-Witkowska, who was falsely accused of beating and robbing another patient, was also sentenced. She spent thirteen months in prison. Her conviction was to give credibility to the narrative about the disastrous practices in the Warsaw ambulance service.

In September 1984, the policemen involved in the case were awarded special financial prizes by the Ministry of the Interior. The justification stated: “The verdict of the court was not only a moral satisfaction of the accused MO officers, but also a compensation for all the officers of our ministry who were attacked in an indiscriminate way. It constituted a kind of rehabilitation of our apparatus in the eyes of society ”.

In a letter after the death of her son, Sadowska wrote: "People with a copper forehead, identifying the militia with the authorities, decided to sacrifice the truth for their immediate benefits, to compromise the justice system in Poland with cynical manipulations that would one day be an example of injustice in a book. I don't suppose it will happen soon. It will be at such times when the systematic desecration of the grave of my blessed son Grzegorz will be only a shameful sign of today's reality. " Sadowska did not live to see the end of the People's Republic of Poland. She died on October 1, 1986 of lung cancer.

After 1989, when the sentences issued in 1984 were overturned, the case was returned to the court. Ireneusz Kościuk was acquitted in 1997 by the Provincial Court in Warsaw, and Denkiewicz was sentenced to two years in prison, but he did not serve a day because, according to psychiatrists, his mental condition prevented him from serving his sentence.

Successive trials of Kościuk started three times: in 2000, in 2003 and 2004. The first time the court decided that the case was time-barred, the second - it acquitted Kościuk again; it was only in May 2008 that the District Court in Warsaw found him guilty and sentenced him to eight years in prison, but as a result of the amnesty, the penalty was reduced by half. The court then noted that the beating, which resulted in Przemyk's death, was a crime committed by a public official in connection with the performance of official duties, and therefore there was no statute of limitations.

This judgment was, however, overruled in December 2009 by the Court of Appeal in Warsaw, which found that the case was time-barred on January 1, 2005. SA explained that the beating, which resulted in Grzegorz's death, did not fall within the concept of "serious damage to health" "Or" serious injury ".

A cassation appeal against the judgment of the Court of Appeal was lodged in 2010 with the Supreme Court by the then prosecutor general, Minister of Justice Krzysztof Kwiatkowski. However, the Supreme Court dismissed the appeal because it considered it unfounded. He indicated that the District Court found the policeman guilty, but at the same time did not find that it was a communist crime, which - according to the Act on the Institute of National Remembrance - expires after thirty years. As neither the prosecutor nor the attorney of Przemyk's father did not challenge this, according to the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeal could not conclude that it was a communist crime and discontinued the case.

The investigation into Przemyk's death was also conducted by the Institute of National Remembrance. In 2009, the former Minister of the Interior, Czesław Kiszczak, heard accusations of obstructing the explanation of the death of the high-school graduate, but in 2012 the Institute discontinued the proceedings against him and twenty other suspects due to the statute of limitations.

The decision of the IPN investigators appealed to the District Court for Warsaw-Śródmieście, inter alia Przemyk's father - Leopold, Cezary Filozof and the former lawyer of Przemyk's mother - Maciej Bednarkiewicz. They demanded that the proceedings be resumed, but in May 2013 a Warsaw court upheld the decision of the institute's investigators.

On May 3, 2008, Grzegorz Przemyk was posthumously awarded the Knight's Cross of the Order of Polonia Restituta. He was also commemorated, among others along a street in Warsaw's Praga Południe, plaques on the building of the Frycz-Modrzewski high school and the tenement house at Jezuicka, and a stone in the area of the church of St. Stanisław Kostka in Żoliborz.

Jerzy Popiełuszko (1947-1984)

 Jerzy Popiełuszko was born on September 14, 1947, in the village of Okopy near Suchowola in the Białystok Province as Alfons Popiełuszko (in 1971 he officially changed his name to Jerzy). His parents, Marianna and Władysław, ran a farm.

In 1954, he entered primary school in Suchowola. Four years later he became an altar boy at the local parish church.

In 1961, he began his education at a general secondary school in Suchowola.

In 1965, after obtaining his secondary school-leaving certificate, he entered the Metropolitan Seminary of st. John the Baptist in Warsaw.

At the beginning of the second year of studies, he was drafted into the army, in one of the then-existing special units for seminarians in Bartoszyce in Masuria. There, on December 7, 1966, he took the military oath. In the years 1966-1968, he performed his basic military service. During his stay in the army, he was persecuted and tormented. After returning from the army, Fr. Jerzy fell seriously ill.

On May 28, 1972, in the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist in Warsaw, he was ordained a priest by Fr. Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński, Primate of Poland. After ordination, he was sent as a vicar to his first pastoral institution in Ząbki near Warsaw.

Fr. Popieluszko then worked in the church of St. Anna (1975-78). For a short time, he was a vicar in the Infant Jesus parish in Żoliborz. In May 1980 he was transferred to the parish of St. Stanisław Kostka in Warsaw's Żoliborz. As a friend of Fr. Popiełuszko, Fr. Czesław Banaszkiewicz, he could carry out his activity there thanks to the then parish priest Teofil Bogucki.

After Solidarity was founded, Fr. Popiełuszko became its spiritual leader, Warsaw steelworkers called him their chaplain, he was the national chaplain of working people and the health service.

"I will not forget this day and this Mass for the rest of my life. I was walking with extreme stage fright. The situation itself was completely new. What will I think? How will they receive me? sounding questions bothered me on the way to the factory. And then at the gate, I experienced my first great amazement. A dense line of people - smiling and crying at the same time. And applause. I thought that someone important was following me. of the priest's factory crossing his gates. I thought then - applause for the Church, which for thirty years was constantly knocking on the factory gates "- this is how Fr. Jerzy recalled his first stay in the Warsaw steelworks on August 31, 1980. He came there to celebrate a mass at the request of the striking steelworkers. He became the chaplain of Solidarity in Huta "Warszawa".

At that time, he made numerous contacts with oppositionists. As witnesses recall, people from all walks of life met in his apartment, incl. workers, intelligentsia, artists. He visited trade unionists in the steelworks several times a month. to Gdańsk, where they met with Lech Wałęsa. He also accompanied them in private ceremonies: he celebrated weddings, baptized, and celebrated funerals. In the church of St. Stanisław Kostka, Fr. Popiełuszko organized lectures on, inter alia, Catholic Social Science.

After the introduction of martial law on December 13, 1981, he was systematically harassed and under surveillance by the SB and MO. Despite this, he organized material help for the interned and their families, he supported various social initiatives, incl. he helped in the action of importing medicines from the West. In the basement of the church of St. Stanisław Kostka was gathered, among others food and drugs. He also participated in trials of people arrested for opposing the law of martial law. He supported political prisoners. He recorded some of the hearings, bringing a tape recorder hidden under his cassock into the courtroom. The material that was created then was broadcast, among others on Radio Free Europe.

Fr. Popiełuszko put his main effort into preparing and leading the Church of St. Stanisław Kostka Mass for the motherland and those who suffer for it. Solidarity delegations from all over the country came to them, intellectuals, actors, and young people participated in them. Through friends, Fr. Popiełuszko was referred to as "the little pope".

In his sermons, he exhorted "overcoming evil with good" (St. Paul's exhortation from the Letter to the Romans: + Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good +).

"You have to be aware of the geopolitical situation we are in, but at the same time this situation cannot be a convenient cover for giving up the rights due to the nation" - said Fr. Jerzy in one of the homilies.

The communist authorities were irritated by the growing popularity of the mass for the homeland. At the end of 1982, the Department for Denominations of the Capital City of Warsaw expressed this in a letter addressed to the Warsaw Metropolitan Curia. Masses Fr. Popiełuszko's opponents called "anti-communist meetings".

At the same time, the communist authorities began to put more and more pressure on the Episcopate to transfer Father Popiełuszko to another parish and prevent him from holding services, which "turned into political demonstrations, posing a threat to order, security and order in the Capital" (Letter of the Office for Religious Affairs to the curia Warsaw of November 26, 1982).

On August 30, 1983, Father Popiełuszko was arrested by the police on his way to Gdynia, where he was to preach. He was taken to the MO headquarters in Łomianki, where he was held for several hours. The prosecutor's office initiated an investigation against him concerning "abuse of freedom of conscience and religion to the detriment of the People's Republic of Poland".

The priest was monitored by the Security Service two years before his death. He was wiretapped, and attempts were made to lead to a car accident. In the apartment at ul. Chłodna, SB officers provoked them by throwing over a dozen thousand leaflets, printing ink, grenades with tear gas, cartridges, and explosives. It was supposed to be evidence for the prepared court trial. Efforts were made to discredit him at all costs. The employees of Huta Warszawa reported to the then primate, Card. Józef Glemp, suggestions that, for the safety of Fr. Popiełuszko to send him to Rome for some time.

In December 1983, Fr. Popiełuszko was arrested and an investigation was launched against him. The Provincial Prosecutor's Office in Warsaw accused him of "abusing the freedom of conscience and religion in the period from 1982 to the detriment of the People's Republic of Poland in the performance of religious rites". In July 1984, after the intervention of the Secretary-General of the Polish Episcopate, Archbishop Bronisław Dąbrowski, the proceedings were discontinued, and Fr. Popiełuszko was released.

In the meantime, articles that slandered Father Popiełuszko were published in the Polish and Soviet press. On September 19, 1984, Jerzy Urban, under the pseudonym Jan Rem, wrote in the "Tu i Teraz" weekly a text entitled "Sessions of Hate". In it he stated: "Hate sessions are organized in Father Popiełuszko's church. The speaker throws not only a few sentences devoid of persuasive meaning and informational value. He only controls emotions."

When attempts at pressure failed, it was decided to take more radical action. On October 13, 1984, the first attempt was to murder Father Popiełuszko, who was returning from Gdańsk by car from St. Brygida to Warsaw. In the vicinity of Olsztynek, officers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs, the future murderers of the priest, planned to cause an accident by throwing a stone in the windshield of a moving car.

The kidnapping of Fr. Popiełuszko was made by three SB officers from the 4th Department of the Ministry of the Interior who were fighting the Catholic Church: Grzegorz Piotrowski, Leszek Pękala, and Waldemar Chmielewski. On October 19, 1984, they left for Bydgoszcz in an official Fiat 125p. On the Toruń-Bydgoszcz route, they stopped a Volkswagen-golf car, in which Fr. Popiełuszko and his driver Waldemar Chrostowski. The driver officers put handcuffs on their hands and a gag on the mouth. The priest, who did not want to get into the car, knocked him unconscious and threw him into the trunk. Chrostowski managed to jump out of the car while driving.

When the torturers stopped near the "Kosmos" hotel in Toruń and opened the trunk, the priest began to run away. However, after a few blows with the truncheon, he lost consciousness and was placed in the trunk again. During the further drive, the hijackers, fearing a roadblock, decided to kill the priest. They tied a sack of stones to his legs, sealed his mouth with plaster, and then threw him into the Vistula Lagoon near Włocławek.

On October 30, 1984, the TV news reported that the body of Father Popiełuszko had been fished out of the Vistula near Włocławek. The body was so massacred that the family identified it only on the basis of special signs. An 11 kg sack with stones was tied to the priest's legs.

In the trial of the murderers of Father Popiełuszko (the so-called Toruń trial), Grzegorz Piotrowski was sentenced to 25 years in prison, his superior, Adam Pietruszka, deputy head of the 4th department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs - also for 25 years; Leszek Pękala - for 15 years and Waldemar Chmielewski - for 14 years. All of them were released from prison before the end of their sentence. Piotrowski left prison in 2001, Pietruszka after ten years (1995), Pękala - five years (1990), Chmielewski - eight years later (1993).

To this day, it is not known whether the murderers and their immediate superiors from the 4th Department of the Ministry of the Interior were followed by higher-placed principals.

Fr. Popiełuszko was buried at the church of St. Stanisław Kostka, and not in Powązki or in his hometown of Suchowola - as the then authorities wanted. About 800,000 people attended the funeral on November 3, 1984. faithful and nearly a thousand priests. The funeral mass is presided over by Primate Józef Glemp.

From the day of the funeral, Fr. Jerzy Popiełuszko, his tomb became a place of mass pilgrimages and prayers - it was visited by nearly 20 million people. The fame of holiness and martyrdom spread not only to Poland but also to the whole world and continues. At the tomb of Fr. Popiełuszko was prayed in 1987 by Pope John Paul II, and in 2005 by Cardinal Ratzinger - later Pope Benedict XVI.

In 1997, the beatification process of Father Popiełuszko began. 12 years later, Pope Benedict XVI signed the decree on the martyrdom of Father Jerzy Popiełuszko, which was tantamount to making a decision to elevate him to the altars.

On June 6, 2010, at Piłsudski Square in Warsaw, a solemn beatification mass for Father Jerzy Popiełuszko was celebrated. Right after the mass. the procession with the relics of Fr. Popiełuszko to the Pantheon of Great Poles at the Divine Providence Center in Wilanów. On September 20 this year, in the chapel of the General House of the Annunciade Sisters in Thiais near Paris, an investigation began into the alleged healing caused by Bl. Fr. Jerzy Popiełuszko. The miraculous healing case involved 56-year-old François Audelan, who suffered from atypical, chronic myeloid leukemia.

In September 2015, Bishop of Creteil Michel Santier announced the procedure of examining the scientifically unexplainable cure of terminally ill leukemia through the intercession of the Polish martyr, Bl. Father Jerzy Popiełuszko ended with a positive result.

In November 2015, the Metropolitan of Warsaw, Card. Kazimierz Nycz told PAP that the miracle was due to Fr. Jerzy Popiełuszko being concerned about cancer; in such a situation, the Church waits 5 years to be sure that it is healed. This means that the earliest canonization could take place in 2017.