Jean-Claude DelmasPope St. John Paul II prays June 14, 1987, in Warsaw in front of the church of Saint Stanislas at the tomb of Blessed Jerzy Popiełuszko. The Solidarity movement chaplain was kidnapped and murdered Oct. 19, 1984. Three secret police officers were found responsible for the murder in 1985 and sentenced to 25, 15 and 14 years in prison. Their immediate superior was sentenced to 25 years in jail.
For some modern Americans, Blessed Jerzy’s bold resistance to communism is an object of protest.