Vatican asked to sanction Polish priest for remarks

7/2/2011

VATICAN CITY — Jewish groups are urging the Vatican to sanction a prominent Polish priest who they say uses his radio station to foment anti-Semitism.

Jewish leaders spoke out after the Rev. Tadeusz Rydzyk caused an uproar in Poland by calling his country a totalitarian state that “hasn’t been ruled by Poles since 1939,” a statement many interpret as code for saying Jews are secretly running the country.

A Vatican spokesman said Father Rydzyk must assume responsibility for his own remarks, but he did not raise the possibility of sanctions.