"I did not carry out any intelligence task," Wielgus said. "I never inflicted any harm on anyone."
Despite the allegations, there was every indication Wielgus would still be installed Sunday as planned. He went through with an initial swearing-in ceremony on Friday required by church law.
The
The allegations first surfaced in a Polish newspaper Dec. 20, two weeks after the
On Thursday, a state commission studying archived files said it found that such allegations "are not groundless."
After studying the archives, a church commission said Friday it found that "numerous, essential documents exist that confirm Rev. Stanislaw Wielgus' willingness for conscious and secret cooperation with the security organs of Communist Poland."
The statement added, however, that there is no clear proof that he "inflicted any harm on anyone."
Wielgus acknowledged in a statement that he did have contact with the secret service, but he said that documents indicating he collaborated were written by the secret police and reflected their account of events, not the truth.
"Various bad intentions and attitudes toward the church have been ascribed to me," he said. "This is false. There exists no documentation proving that, other than the words of functionaries who viewed my person and the whole thing in their own way."
The allegations have gripped heavily Catholic Poland and newspapers Friday devoted their front pages to the revelations.
"Stop the installation," the daily Dziennik wrote in large bold print on its front page, arguing that to allow a "former agent" to hold a top church post would amount to a "moral scandal."
Wielgus is the latest in a series of church and public figures in
The revelations are uncomfortable for the church, given its prominent role in Polish society and the esteem it long enjoyed for its opposition to the Communist regime.
In his statement, Wielgus acknowledged signing a declaration of cooperation in 1978 when seeking permission to travel to
"That was my moment of weakness," he wrote, insisting that he never actively cooperated with the secret police.
He also insisted that many facts about him in the documents are wrong, including that he speaks Spanish or had several publications abroad.
"The characterization of me in the secret police material differs so much from the truth, that I would not recognize myself on their basis if it were anonymous," he said.
During a visit to
"We must guard against the arrogant claim of setting ourselves up to judge earlier generations who lived in different times and in different circumstances," Benedict told clergy, comments that met with applause.
