WARSAW, Poland — Hoping to curb alcohol abuse, Polish officials have asked Roman Catholic churches to read the names of convicted drunk drivers from the pulpit during Mass, according to Catholic News Service (CNS).
Church leaders will consider the request, a spokeswoman for the Polish bishops’ conference told CNS, and at least one diocese has reportedly agreed to read the names at the end of Mass.
“The Justice Ministry has instructed us to publicize cases of drunken driving and publicly censure those involved — the Catholic Church would be well suited for this,” Malgorzata Bednarek, a chief prosecutor in Poland, told CNS.
Despite tougher penalties, drunken driving incidents increased by about 46,000 between 2001 and 2005, CNS reported.
Still Piotr Brzakalik, a Catholic sobriety chaplain in Poland who recently launched a campaign against drunken driving, refused to endorse the plan.
“To risk killing someone is a violation of the Fifth Commandment. But I’m skeptical about this idea — the pulpit shouldn’t be used for stigmatizing people,” he told CNS.
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