The Sins Of The Fathers

For years, "lustration" has applied to the efforts of some historians in old Soviet-bloc countries to expose former communist collaborators. The word derives from the Latin for purification but, as the dramatic defenestration of two high-ranking Polish priests over charges they cooperated with communist police has demonstrated, it's a messy business.

The messiness looks likely to continue. Until recently, the Polish Catholic Church had remained immune from scrutiny, but that taboo has crumbled in recent weeks as anticommunist newspapers began printing accusations about Warsaw Archbishop Stanislaw Wielgus and, later, a senior Cracow priest, Janusz Bielanski. A new report...

Want the full story?

Subscribe Now

Subscribe
Subscribe

Learn more about the benefits of being a TIME subscriber

If you are already a subscriber sign up — registration is free!