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Roman Kotlarz (born 17 October 1928 in Koniemłoty near Staszow, died 18 August 1976 in

Radom, Poland Radom is a city in east-central Poland, located approximately south of the capital, Warsaw. It is situated on the Mleczna River in the Masovian Voivodeship. Radom is the fifteenth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest in its province w ...

) was a Polish

Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

priest and an activist of the democratic opposition in the days of Polish communism and the People’s Republic of Poland (PRP). During the

June 1976 protests The June 1976 protests were a series of protests and demonstrations in the Polish People's Republic that took place after Prime Minister Piotr Jaroszewicz revealed the plan for a sudden increase in the price of many basic commodities,

in Poland he gave a blessing and support to the striking workers and protesters. He was beaten severely by police on several occasions. He died under mysterious circumstances later that year. He was honored posthumously by many leaders including president

Lech Kaczyński Lech Aleksander Kaczyński (; 18 June 194910 April 2010) was a Polish politician who served as the city mayor of Warsaw from 2002 until 2005, and as President of Poland from 2005 until his death in 2010 in an air crash. The aircraft carrying ...

Biography

He was born in Koniemłoty near Staszów, as the youngest of six children to Szczepan and Waleria. After finishing elementary school he attended high school in Staszów. After graduating he entered the seminary. He was ordained May 30, 1954. He was vicar in the parishes of:

Szydłowiec Szydłowiec (; ; ) is a town in Szydłowiec County, Mazovian Voivodeship, south-central Poland, with 5,243 inhabitants (31 December 2005). It is the seat of Gmina Szydłowiec (commune). Szydłowiec is part of the historic region of Lesser Polan ...

Żarnów Żarnów is a town in Opoczno County, Łódź Voivodeship, in central Poland. It is the seat of the gmina, administrative district called Gmina Żarnów. It lies approximately south-west of Opoczno and south-east of the regional capital Łódź. ...

Koprzywnica Koprzywnica is a town in Sandomierz County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, Poland, with 2,546 inhabitants (2004). Koprzywnica lies on the Koprzywianka river, in Lesser Poland. It is one of the oldest urban centers of the province, located along t ...

Mirzec Mirzec is a village in Starachowice County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, in south-central Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Mirzec. It lies approximately north of Starachowice and north-east of the regio ...

Kunów Kunów is a town in Ostrowiec County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, Poland, with 3,153 inhabitants (2004). It lies in Lesser Poland, on the Kamienna river, northwest of Ostrowiec Świętokrzyski. History In the early Middle Ages Kunów belonge ...

and

Nowa Słupia Nowa Słupia is a town in Kielce County, Świętokrzyskie Voivodeship, in south-central Poland. It is the seat of the gmina (administrative district) called Gmina Nowa Słupia. It lies approximately east of the regional capital Kielce. History ...

. From 26 August 1961 he was the pastor of the parish Lady of Czestochowa in Pelagowie near

Radom Radom is a city in east-central Poland, located approximately south of the capital, Warsaw. It is situated on the Mleczna River in the Masovian Voivodeship. Radom is the fifteenth-largest city in Poland and the second-largest in its province w ...

. He was under constant observation of the surveillance officers and secret collaborators of

Służba Bezpieczeństwa The Security Service (; ), in full Security Service of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and commonly known as SB, was a secret police force established in the Polish People's Republic in 1956 as a successor to the Ministry of Public Security (P ...

, the PRP's

Secret Police image:Putin-Stasi-Ausweis.png, 300px, Vladimir Putin's secret police identity card, issued by the East German Stasi while he was working as a Soviet KGB liaison officer from 1985 to 1989. Both organizations used similar forms of repression. Secre ...

. During the

he supported the strikers at Metal Works "Bowman" in Radom. He was also at the Holy Trinity Church in Radom blessing protesting workers during demonstrations. After the brutal suppression of the protesters by the troops he prayed together with the faithful for the beaten, arrested and fired workers. In his

sermon A sermon is a religious discourse or oration by a preacher, usually a member of clergy. Sermons address a scriptural, theological, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law, or behavior within both past and present context ...

s he demanded respect for the human being, and denounced falsehood and injustice. He was subjected to repression by the

communist Communism () is a sociopolitical, philosophical, and economic ideology within the socialist movement, whose goal is the creation of a communist society, a socioeconomic order centered on common ownership of the means of production, di ...

authorities. On several occasions, was brutally beaten by officers of the

. According to Jan Jozef Lipski, a cleaning woman found him beaten unconscious in his own apartment. She told the Regional Psychiatric Hospital Health Care in Krychnowice, but he was declared dead on arrival. The communist authorities banned the priest from being buried in the cemetery of Radom. His funeral, held on 20 August 1976, turned into a patriotic manifestation. He was buried in Koniemłoty. In 1990, the

president of Poland The president of Poland ( ), officially the president of the Republic of Poland (), is the head of state of Poland. His or her prerogatives and duties are determined in the Constitution of Poland. The president jointly exercises the executive ...

in exile,

Ryszard Kaczorowski Ryszard Kaczorowski, GCMG (; 26 November 1919 – 10 April 2010) was a Polish statesman. From 1989 to 1990, he served as the last President of Poland- in-exile. He succeeded Kazimierz Sabbat, and resigned his post following Poland's regain ...

, posthumously honored him with

Cross of Merit with Swords The Cross of Merit with Swords () is a Polish military award established October 19, 1942, by the Polish Government in Exile. Criteria The Cross of Merit with Swords is awarded for deeds of bravery and valor during time of war not connected with ...

for "sacrifice of life in the struggle with the Communists for an independent Poland." On 3 May 2009 he was posthumously awarded by President

's Commander's Cross with Star of the

Order of Polonia Restituta The Order of Polonia Restituta (, ) is a Polish state decoration, state Order (decoration), order established 4 February 1921. It is conferred on both military and civilians as well as on alien (law), foreigners for outstanding achievements in ...

References

Bibliography

In Polish
Nota biograficzna na stronie Katolickiej Agencji Informacyjn
(Catholic Information Agency)

(Gazeta.pl portal, part of

Agora SA Agora Spółka Akcyjna (Agora SA) is a Polish media company. Agora and ''Gazeta Wyborcza'' (''The'' ''Electoral Gazette'') were created on the eve of the 1989 Polish legislative election, parliamentary elections in 1989. ''Gazeta Wyborcza'' beca ...

)
Szczepan Kowalik, ''Tajemnica śmierci ks. Romana Kotlarza'', opoka.org.pl
website repost of "Mystery death of Fr. Roman Kotlarza" by Stephen Kowalik, from "Our Official" (http://www.naszdziennik.pl/) issue 47 (2760) on 24–25 February 2007
Rafał Staszewski, ''Męczennik z Koniemłotów'', Tygodnik Katolicki Niedziela, Edycja sandomierska, 34/2006
(Catholic Weekly "Sunday" (Niedziela)) {{DEFAULTSORT:Kotlarz, Roman 1928 births 1976 deaths People from Staszów County Polish democracy activists Szydłowiec 20th-century Polish Roman Catholic priests Polish human rights activists Recipients of the Order of Polonia Restituta Polish dissidents