No penalty for a priest for playing church music too loud. After he had refused to accept a fine, the case found its way to court. The court, however, refused to launch proceedings.
It was a real high-volume case. People living in the vicinity of the Church of Christ the King and Annunciation in Rawicz complained that the music and prayers had been played so loud they could not hear one another and their TV sets.
They claimed that had told the priest about it but the situation remained unchanged. Then they decided to write a petition, which was signed by 98 people. The document was sent to the church, the local authorities and the police.
In the petition, the residents demanded the outside speakers be switched off completely during Sunday masses. The parson only turned the volume down.
Priest with police charges
The case did not end there. The police decided to charge the head of Rawicz parish Father Wojciech Prostak.
"The parson has been charged with disturbing peace by playing music through the church's outside speakers between March and September of last year," Rawicz Police press officer Beata Jarczewska said in January.
In his statement, he told the police that the music was, among other things, a form of support for the parishioners during the pandemic. He confirmed it in January in an interview for TVN24.
"During the pandemic, between March and September, we were using the speakers to allow people standing in front of the church to hear what was happening inside, the whole liturgy. Then they were walking in to take the Holy Communion," parson at the Church of Christ the King and Annunciation in Rawicz, Father Wojciech Prostak said.
After he had refused to accept a fine, the police referred the case to a court. "For nearly 30 years I've been working with criminals at Rawicz prison. And now they drag me to a court like a criminal," Father Prostak complained.
Parson thanks for prayer
Now, as elka.pl portal reported first, the case has come to an end.
"The Regional Court in Rawicz had examined two cases. One pertained to the refusal to accept a fine. The court refused to launch proceedings. The other one was submitted based on the environment protection law - and likewise - the court refused to launch proceedings," Joanna Kowalska from Poznań District Court told tvn24.pl.
Both decisions were made on August 3. As Father Wojciech Prostak said on Facebook, the court had not found features of illegal conduct in neither case.
"We thank everyone for prayer in the intention of the court cases ending happily. Let's all make sure we live in mutual respect and accord within our parish," the priest wrote.
Źródło: TVN24 News in English, TVN24 Poznań
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