The Film Project
The idea behind
the Radio Maryja project began after I heard several conflicting
arguments regarding the organisation while in a local pub, on the one
hand it was claimed that the Radio Maryja Family brainwash their
listeners and viewers, of sister television station TV Trwam, using
political propaganda and fraudulent tactics, the second point of view
was that the organisation only pray on their own and anyone stupid
enough to fall into the trap is asking to be conned. Both sides of the
dispute reflected on negative aspects of RM and its founder Tadeusz
Rydzyk. Both of these arguments were unfounded opinions, which could not
be backed with specific evidence. Since listening to this debate and
various others along the same lines, I have been on an pilgrimage with
the ‘Family’ and have seen first hand what they represent and the
incredible age range in their followers. On Sunday the 30th
of September 2007 I was welcomed into the family fold by a
representative and a small group of followers in Bochnia.
The Head Quarters
I had arranged to
meet the organiser of the Bochnia group in the evening in order to gain
permission to film and interview RM supporters. I was instructed to go
to a building in the centre of Bochnia and await further information. I
must admit that even though it was still daylight when I reached the
building, I was feeling extremely vulnerable as the RMF have a history
of being ‘anti-media’ and have often sued film makers and even
television channels that have tried to record their activities in the
past. Upon arrival I received a text message informing me of the
whereabouts of the head quarters. I found myself walking up several
flights of stairs and standing outside a Sajm government office, the
door was open wide and a poster for the Radio Maryja Family was stuck
firmly to the interior door.
The Meeting
I could hear
several voices coming from a room next door to the office, it sounded
like the room was full of people and they were discussing several
private issues. One of which I am about to make public as I was afraid
to disturb the meeting and hung around the office doorway. It seemed
that one of the people speaking was telling the rest of the group about
her husband who has recently gone deaf and is unable to listen to Radio
Maryja, she said that her husband was afraid of going to Hell as he
couldn’t listen anymore. The group’s combined advice was that he
should try turning up the radio as loud as possible (!) and that he
should also watch TV Trwam with the subtitles on. There was no real
confirmation that he would not go to Hell. After about twenty minutes of
listening to the most random of conversations and proposals I decided to
pop my head around the corner of the door. I was surprised to find only
five people in the room. The man I planned to meet (lets call him Big
Ron) was sat on the right hand side of the table, he immediately stood
and approached me, asking me why I am late. When I explained my reasons
for not wanting to disturb the proceedings he grunted and requested to
speak to me in private.
Big Ron
We
took a pew in the ‘government’ office adjacent to the meeting room
and Big Ron asked what I wanted. I have no intention of lying to these
people as it would ruin the entire aspect of my project, and so I said
to him that I was impressed with the Pilgrimage two weeks ago, however I
was concerned with what Tadeusz Rydzyk said about the media being the
devil. I followed this by informing Big Ron about my film history and
the asked him as to why Father Rydzyk made this bold remark.
My
Polish is advanced quite well since living in Poland, my interpretation
of Polish analogies on the other hand is not quite up to scratch and so
I was rather taken back by Big Ron’s response. He told me that the
media is evil as it is tide with communism, he also mentioned several
newspapers and television programmes that have given RM negative
coverage. When I questioned this he gave me the following comparison:
Imagine that you have two bad teeth that need to be removed, one of
which represents communism, this tooth is removed without any
anaesthetic and it hurts terribly. The second tooth represents something
much worse than communism, something so disgusting that it has rotted
the tooth away to the root. This tooth represents Liberalism. This tooth
is removed with an anaesthetic and it most damaging because you can’t
feel it happening. (Please write to me and give me your interpretation
of this as it may shed some light!)
It
was at this point that I informed Big Ron as to my film plans, I told
him I was very keen to capture events, marches and interviews of people
in the Radio Maryja Family and piece together my findings in a
documentary. To my surprise Big Ron clapped his hands and seemed very
enthusiastic about my idea. He instantly asked me about my views on
religion and I told him my Polish was not good enough to articulate my
true beliefs.
The Fold
Big Ron then
welcomed me into the meeting room where I was introduced to the four
other attendees, each one a new face. I sat on the left hand side of the
table, opposite Big Ron, this placed me next to a dishevelled fellow in
his mid forties with horrific body odour and a lady I would guess is in
her early sixties, kept on touching my arms and asking if I was cold. To
my right sat a rather stout chap who struck me as being a cross between
Ronnie Barker, Lenny from ‘Of Mice and Men’ and John Goodman’s
‘Big Dan’ character in ‘O Brother Where Art Thou’. At the bottom
end of the table there sat a stara babka, the same lady I imagine was
talking about her deaf husband going to Hell. And there I sat, amongst
this group of social misfits in a room covered in RM and Trwam
paraphernalia.
I am by no
standard criticising their beliefs or there ways of living (yet) as it
was indeed I that made the choice to invade their territory.
After being
grilled by a series of questions about England and my life history, the
group began confessing their sins, which seemed very similar to a
stereotypical AA meeting. I kept quiet and listened to their confessions
before everybody stood and began to pray and chant, before I knew what
was happening I found myself in a full recital of the Rosary. This
scared me somewhat in that I was unprepared for such an act, it seemed
far to close to a Catholic service and this is something I have respect
for. Even though I was welcomed into the fold I was intruding on
something I knew I should never take lightly. It wasn’t until we sat
down and Big Ron started reading from the RM newspaper that I started to
feel my presence was justified again. He read a column focussing on
Liberalism and how the eruption of gay rights and immigration (!!) in
Europe are works of evil and should be addressed immediately.
The Departure
After an hour and
ten minutes of praying, singing and discourse the group started to
depart, each member leaving one by one until it was just Big Ron and I
discussing plans for the film project. He invited me to an all night
prayer procession in Krakow next Saturday, with hope that I will be able
to film the RM troop in action. Although I accepted Big Ron’s offer I
am still unsure as to where the cross over is from traditional
Catholicism and The Radio Maryja Family. People have told me in the past
that the RM private meetings are often the most aggressive and hate
fuelled but once again, I found nothing to be out of the ordinary at
all, as far as religion permits, bar of course the remarks regarding
Liberalism. The more I am finding out about these people, the less I am
beginning to question their ulterior motives, it seems that the rumours
circulated by the younger generation are desperately unfounded and only
made to arouse public interest in controversy in Poland.
The Plan
I have decided to
accept Big Ron’s invitation next weekend. Although I am far much more
interested in filming the bus journey down to Krakow and the reactions
that the RM Bochnia group may have to the tolerance of Liberalism in one
of Poland’s biggest cities. I have no intention of staying for the
full prayer session and sincerely doubt I will film inside the Catholic
church, my plans are to spend as much time with the group as possible,
steering away from their connections with the Catholic church and hoping
to detail these connections through personal interviews only. In two
months time I will be embarking on a twelve-day mission around Poland
with two interested parties that will aid me in circulating some of the
supporters and critics of the Radio Maryja family, who knows what our
collective journey may reveal about this still ‘seemingly’
controversial religious group?
Copyright
Daniel Emmerson 2007-2008 All Rights Reserved