Polish Catholic leader threatens to suspend anti-migrant priests

WARSAW - 19 October 2017: The honorary leader of Poland's Catholic Church on Wednesday said he would suspend any priest who takes part in anti-migrant demonstrations.

"If I hear... of a protest against refugees where my priests participate, I will have a swift response: Each priest that joins in will be suspended," Archbishop Wojciech Polak, primate of Poland, said in an interview with the Roman Catholic weekly magazine.

"There's no other path to take, as I am responsible for my diocese. In situations where (priests) explicitly support one side in a conflict, I need to act immediately."

Several recent surveys show that the majority of Poles are opposed to allowing refugees to settle in their country and its rightwing premier has refused to be "blackmailed" by the European Union into accepting thousands of asylum seekers under a quota system.

Polak's comments drew scorn on social media from conservatives.