A divided Poland is holding three days of ceremonies to mark the 1,050th anniversary of its conversion to Christianity, signalling a new era of even closer ties between the national conservative government and the Catholic Church.

On Friday, political and church leaders attended a joint session of parliament and mass in the western city of Poznan in honour of the baptism, in nearby Gniezno sometime around 966 AD, of Duke Mieszko I.

The Duke ruled the territory that is now Poland.

While government leaders and bishops paid tribute to the “inextricable” link between Polish and Christian identity, opposition leaders accuse the government of trampling on the rule of law.

Womens’ groups see increasing deference to the church behind a new effort in Poland to effectively outlaw abortion.

Woven together

President Andrzej Duda, of the ruling Law and Justice (PiS) party, said that “the spiritual and the state elements were woven together and remain that way” in Poland.

“Poland is and will remain true to her Christian heritage, in which we have a well-tested, strong foundation for the future,” said Mr Duda to a joint session of parliament.

He noted how Poles – 90 per cent of whom profess to be Catholic – had remained true to the church and its values even in the difficult communist era. The 1,000th anniversary celebrations in 1966 saw a stand-off between bishops and the communist authorities.

This unbroken Catholic tradition had, Mr Duda said, paved the way for Pope John Paul II and the Solidarity revolution that toppled communism.

In a nod to a six-month political standoff in Warsaw, Mr Duda appealed for national unity “in accordance with the values that unite us”.

This was echoed by Archbishop Wojciech Polak, primate of Poland. “The baptism of Poland, grounded in the faith of the undivided Church, resulted in the spirit of ecumenical freedom and tolerance,” he said.

Opposition politicians welcomed Mr Duda’s reference to the rule of law, something they accuse him and his PiS colleagues of breaching repeatedly since taking office last November.

Judges stand-off

Mr Duda has refused to swear in three constitutional court judges he says were appointed illegally by the last government.

The president dismissed claims that the new administration was undermining Poland’s constitutional order and basic human rights. He said yesterday that these rights were deeply rooted in the Christian heritage being celebrated on this anniversary.

The government has also dismissed concerns surrounding other controversial reforms, including a reform to constitutional court operations, the merger of the role of state prosecutor with justice minister, and tighter state controls over the civil service and public broadcasting.

Opposition leaders accused the president of hypocrisy for praising the rule of law, given his role in the stand-off with the constitutional court.

“What is happening in the state today, unfortunately with the participation of the president, sets us apart from our European history,” said Ryszard Petru, leader of the opposition Nowoczesna (Modern) party.

“We do not respect any European standards that [Duke] Mieszko dreamt about.”

In a resolution this week, the European Parliament warned that the “effective paralysis” of the constitutional court endangered the rule of law, democracy and human rights in Poland.

Ahead of looming visit by European Commission officials to Warsaw, prime minister Beata Szydlo dismissed critics as “politicians from the ‘old EU’ who like to instruct others”.

Vow renewal

The pomp of Poland’s three- day baptism celebration has served as a public renewal of vows between the PiS government and the Catholic church.

Critics see in their embrace a political quid pro quo, with PiS delivering church-friendly social policy in exchange for open political endorsement from church altars.

“The Catholic Church was the biggest beneficiary of the transition to democracy and the third republic in 1989,” said Dr Jacek Kucharczyk of the ISP think tank in Warsaw.

“But now the bishops are backing people who wanted to destroy the third republic they helped create.”