Talk About Irony

The newly appointed archbishop of Warsaw in Poland resigns after admitting he had been a spy for Poland's former Communist regime.

The late Pope John Paul II, of course, was from Poland and is widely credited for being a major contributor to the fall of the Soviet Union. (link via)

The scandal has highlighted a deep crisis for the Polish church and its struggle to define its role after the death of its moral guide, Pope John Paul.

"This is the biggest crisis to affect the Polish Church for a generation," said Jonathan Luxmoore, an expert on Catholic matters. "The Pope could (also) be damaged by this."

Soon after his appointment, Polish media reported that Wielgus had informed on fellow clerics for about 20 years from the late 1960s. In Friday's statement, Wielgus said he "did not report on anyone nor deliberately try to hurt anyone."

Wielgus's admission on Friday that he had damaged the Church when he "denied the facts of this cooperation" with the secret services opened the door for the Pope to remove him from office but he did not resign until the day of the ceremony.