Popiełuszko – Museum of Blessed Father Jerzy Popiełuszko, Warsaw

Fact of the Polish figure „The Gdansk Shipyard – 1980″

Part of the „Dreaming about the democracy” topic

Father Jerzy Popiełuszko is one of the most significant figures in Poland’s collective memory of resisting communism. As a chaplain to the workers of the Warsaw Steelworks (Huta Warszawa), he became a symbol of spiritual support for Solidarity. Starting in 1982, he led the “Masses for the Homeland,” which linked religion with the defense of human rights, dignity, and truth. Although he avoided direct political involvement, his sermons challenged the core of the regime, addressing issues like censorship, repression, and state brutality. He preached the principle “overcome evil with good,” which made him a moral authority. On 19 October 1984, he was abducted and murdered by officers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. His death shocked society and further undermined the legitimacy of the communist regime. Popiełuszko’s funeral drew hundreds of thousands of people, and his grave in Warsaw became a site of national remembrance and pilgrimage. He was beatified in 2010. Today, his figure remains a symbol of the fight for freedom, truth, and human dignity—not only within the history of Solidarity but also in the broader culture of remembrance of Polish resistance to totalitarianism.