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VIII Against the Tide TV Congress

In May, the VIII Against the Tide TV Congress “Poland and the world after the catastrophe” was held. The event was devoted to the current situation in Ukraine, and the prospect of a Polish-Ukrainian alliance or even a union. Our guests talked about how to organize the world after the war with Putin and what the effects of the war will be for the whole world. They also assessed the attitude of the states and their commitment to helping Ukraine, as well as the policy of communist China towards Russia’s aggression.

The speakers of the Congress were:

• Gen. Benjamin Hodges, former commander of U.S. troops in Europe [video]
• Kira Rudik, Chair of the Ukrainian Voice Party [video]
• Manyan Ng, head of Epoch Times Europe [video]
• Satoru Nagao, Hudson Institute expert [video]
• Pavel Novotný, Czech politician
• pastor Bob Kraft

Kira Rudik expressed her gratitude to the Poles for their help. She said she is very hopeful for the establishment of a Polish-Ukrainian alliance: “Kyiv started to be bombarded at 5 a.m. And at 6 p.m., Poland opened its borders to Ukrainian citizens so they can get to safety. You did not ask us any questions. You were that neighbor that, when you come back home and cry, knock on his door, he would open the door, give you a cup of tea, and you would talk. We would never, ever forget this. […] So with this new system that we will be putting together, moving forward after the catastrophe, after the crisis, after we win, I do believe that geographically, mentally, and physically, Ukraine, Poland, and Baltic countries will have to stay united, will have to have closer connections, and we’ll have to help to build the alliance, the effective alliance that would actually work.”

The main event of the Congress was the debate, which was divided into four panels: Security, Local Governments, Health Care and Education. It was attended by specialists from various fields: politicians, experts, doctors, editors, local government officials, and representatives of education.

The idea of the Polish-Ukrainian alliance was supported by the former Minister of Agriculture, chairman of the Council for Agriculture and Rural Areas, Jan Krzysztof Ardanowski: “Strategic cooperation is needed in various areas, e.g. agriculture. If Ukraine perseveres, and may it do so, if Poland, Ukraine, and smaller countries in our part of Europe could unite – as President Zelensky also said in his message to the Polish National Assembly – then, as a matter of fact, it would be the Three Seas Initiative, but at the same time a strong counterweight to the Germans, to their domination, hegemony in this part of Europe. Now there is a chance for our region to stand out for independence. Poland and Ukraine can be absolute leaders in this change in the geopolitical situation.”

[Article – UA version]

WHAT ELSE:

Conference of Pastors and Christian Leaders

In early May, we organized a conference of pastors and Christian leaders under the slogan: “Evangelization of Poles and Ukrainians at the time of dynamic cultural and international changes”. We talked about the response of evangelical Christian circles to the changes taking place and how to use the openness of hearts resulting from the war in Ukraine in evangelization. In Lublin, we hosted pastors and Christian leaders from Poland and Ukraine, who want to look together for new opportunities to reach Poles and Ukrainians with the gospel. The special guest of the conference was Joe Łosiak, co-founder of the oasis movement, and associate of Fr. Franciszek Blachnicki.

The result of the conference was a joint letter in which pastors supported the initiative of President Zelensky and other politicians to strengthen relations between Poland, Ukraine, and other countries in our region. The letter was signed by pastors: Paweł Chojecki, Radosław Kopeć, Paweł Machała, and Michał Fałek from the New Covenant Church in Lublin, pastor Henryk Skrzypkowski from the Baptist Church in Chełm, pastor Ireneusz Dawidowicz from the “Way of Salvation” Congregation of the Baptist Church in Poland, pastor Andrey Hlopkov from the Church of God “Grace of Christ” in Krakow, pastor Oleksandr Moroz from the Ukrainian Baptist Church in Warsaw and Joe Łosiak.

[Petition – UA] [Petition – ENG]
[Article – UA] [Article – ENG]

Robert Makłowicz on Against the Tide TV

We talked to Robert Makłowicz, a well-known Polish food critic, writer, and traveler. We asked him if he believed in the possibility of an alliance between Poland and Ukraine and the entire Three Seas Initiative.

We also talked about the myth of a Pole-Catholic and the contribution of Protestants to Polish culture. We also remembered the time of the Republic of Poland, its tolerance, and its great traditions.

Robert Makłowicz said: “Our past is the Republic of many nations, many religions, and many cultures. Regardless of where we come from in Poland, we are the heirs of this ‘multi’ tradition. I perceive Polish culture as a collection resembling a stained glass window.  If we put one piece of glass in the frame, then it will no longer be stained glass, but an ordinary glass. However, stained glass is a much more complex and beautiful construction.”

Verdict in the case of Bartłomiej Pankowiak

The District Court in Kalisz issued a verdict in the case of Bartłomiej Pankowiak, the victim of priest Arkadiusz H. The Kalisz Curia is to pay the victim PLN 300,000 in compensation.

Artur Nowak commented: “We feel satisfaction, but not entirely, because the court did not fully accept our demand. It is important for us, for Bartek and Jakub, that the principle of responsibility has been decided. The court in the oral justification of the verdict said that this is not a fight with the Church, but a fight for the Church, for a healthy Church, and the plaintiffs, i.e. the Pankowiak brothers, were the precursors of this good cause. They set an example, starting with the fact that they showed their faces in the movie, and spoke about their trauma, but also by applying for reparation, they became the precursors of the purification of this Church.”

Cardinal Zen arrested!

On May 11, the Chinese authorities arrested Cardinal Joseph Zen from Hong Kong. Along with him, a group of people supporting a foundation created in 2019 to help protesters in Hong Kong was detained. The cardinal supported Hong Kong’s independence efforts, publicly criticized the Vatican’s agreement with the Chinese Communists, and called communism itself a “diabolical system”.

After the White House intervened, the Cardinal was quickly released on bail. However, he still faces imprisonment.

“The lack of a decisive response by Pope Francis to the arrest of Cardinal Zen, the retired bishop of Hong Kong, by the Chinese Communists, is a shame and a disgrace,” said Hanna Shen, a correspondent for Against the Tide TV in Taiwan.

Christian Congress

This month we organized a Christian conference, special guests of which were Joe and Anna Łosiak, missionaries from the USA. The program of the convention included e.g. a meeting with young people, a concert by Joe Łosiak, a series of lectures by Joe and Anna, and a Q&A session. We also invited our guests to a program about whether the “revolution of Jesus” in Poland is possible.

We also talked to Anna Łosiak about the lights and shadows of homeschooling.

Joe Łosiak also gave us a Sunday Sermon “If not Mass, what?”

WHAT’S NEW:

• We have prepared a new evangelization leaflet “Putin’s Pope”
• We have started a new project – a study of the First Letter to the Corinthians, led by Pastor Paweł Chojecki.
• We made a new animation “It is war then!”, which answers the questions of why there are wars, why people hurt each other, and why we are surrounded by so much evil. The animation with drawings by Andrzej Patalon was created based on the leaflet of the same title. It is available in Polish and Ukrainian.

WHAT WE ARE WORKING ON:

• We are preparing for the Polish-Ukrainian evangelization conference in June, during which we will organize a concert of Christian music in Lublin.
• We are planning on setting up evangelization tents in various cities Polish.
• We are in the process of preparing for the Christian summer camp in July.
• We are beginning an advanced Bible study project in collaboration with the Mt28 Movement. The first book to be studied will be the Epistle of James.
• In our headquarters, we are also working on a new car park.