Evening star., 1944-05-14
Polish Priest
|Defies Bishop
|0n Suspension
Announces Plan
To Say Mass in
Own Perish Todoy
BY the Associated Press.

BY the Associated Press.
SPRINGFIELD, Mass, May Is.
The Rev. Stanislaus Orleman-
ski, Polish-American priest sus-
pended by his bishop upon his
return from a Moscow confer
ence with Premier Stain, said
today he would celebrate mass
in his home parish tomorrow as
usual and declared he was being
crucifled for my church."
Only short time after Bishop
Thomas M. OLeary of the Spring.
field diocese stripped him of his
priestly privileges, Father Orleman-
ski announced he was appealing the
suspension order to the apostolic
delegate in Washington.
Bishop OLeary's suspension order
suggested that Father Orlemanski
go. to a monastery for the duration
of the suspension. Other chancery
officials declined speculation on
what action might be taken in the
event the Polish-American priest
celebrated mass in his own church
tomorrow.
Late today the delegation at
Washington reported that the
Springfield priest had never" con-
tacted them and added that like
every diocesan priest, he is directly
subject to his bishop"
Father Orlemanski explained at q
press conference that his appeal
automatically invalided the suspen-
sion order and made it possible for
him to carry on his parish duties
pending action by Archbishop
Amleto Cicognani, the apostolic
delegate.
Position Is Disputed.
Diocesan authorities, however, dis
agreed with this statement, saying
that the suspension. remained In
force until higher church officials
had ruled upon the appeal.
CThey also said that failure to
comply with the penalty would
be a further violation of canon
law and could lead to the i'm
position of heavier punishment.)
Bishop OLeary announced the
suspension only few hours after
Father Orlemanski returned from
Russia. The suspension stated the
priest could not administer the
Esacramerits, celebrate mass or per.
form any other diYine duties.
The priest told newsmen, "I went
to Moscow to see what / could do
for the Catholic Church in Poland,
the Ukraine and White Russia. But
Stain made it universal. He went
beyond my expectations and agreed
not to persecute the Catholic
Church, not only in those places
but in any part of Russia.
"He went further than that In
agreeing to cooperate with the
church against persecution any,
where.
Calls 1t Test Case.
This is test case. If we cannot
agree with Stain on religion. how
then can we get together with Stain
on material things?"
Father Orlemanski displayed a
document, typed in Russian, which,
he said, was Stalin's signed agree
ment not to persecute the church,
He said the Premier first wanted to
make the document public as soon
as it was signed but finally agreed
to allow Father Orlemanski to show
it to the apostolic delegate and to
make it public himself, If he found
that step necessary.
Il am being punished for doing
something for my church." the
priest added. "If Stain hears things
like this, he will be irritated-we
may lose what we have gained.
IF am to be crucified for that,
it does not matter for the few
years left of my life. If I am to
be crucified, I have two brothers
who are priests and there will be
three of us crucified together"
Planned to Keep Secret.
Father Orlemanski said he had
planned to keep secret his written
agreement with Stain, until he had
turned it over to the apostolic dele
cation, but when I came back
here and found what some priests
had been saying about me, de-
cided to make the plan public"
The priest said, however, that he
had brought back a definite plan
for the form of government to be
established in Poland after the
war but he declined to give even
the slightest hint as to what the
plan embodied.
Father Orlemanski said his ap-
peal to the apostolic delegate auto
matically took him out of the juris-
diction of the bishop of Springfield.
Should the apostolic delegate act
unfavorably on his appeal, he added,
(See ORLEMANSKI, Page A-3J
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