Communists spied on John Paul when he was a priest

COMMUNIST secret police in Poland put the late Pope John Paul II under surveillance from as early as 1946 – 32 years before he became Pope, a conference on the late Pontiff heard at the weekend.

Dr Marek Lasota of the Institute of National Remembrance in Krakow told the conference in Cork that the secret police identified Pope John Paul as a problematic ideological opponent to their regime in the early days of his priesthood.

‘Despite all the myths that he was an actor he proved to be a very able organiser,’ Dr Lasota said of the Pope. ‘His very important ability was that he was able to analyse a political situation within Poland or outside Poland and see it in a proper light.

‘He was transparent. That was his strength. That was the most convincing aspect of his personality. He was faithful to his own path of spiritual formation.’

Dr Lasota, who has examined letters and dossiers written by the Communist regime, said as the then Fr Wojtyla’s status rose he was monitored in all his everyday activities.

The regime noted countless trivial facts such as whether he smoked or liked card games. Dr Lasota said they also kept note of his preference on alcohol drinks and toiletries and where he kept the keys to his house and office.

The regime also kept track of the future Pontiff’s health, whether he wore glasses and the identity of his dentist. They monitored how many suitcases he had and what kind and how he dressed for sports.

Priests and acquaintances the late Pope John Paul II interacted with in his day to day activities were among those who collaborated by giving information to the regime about the future Pontiff.

Dr Lasota said that about 10 per cent of Polish priests were themselves officers acting on behalf of the Communist dictatorship.

‘There was political pressure on the clergy. There were priests which infiltrated the Polish Church. It was a complex situation.’ The regime identified Fr Wojtyla as a possible Pope in the 1970s, Dr Lasota said.