The celebrations of the 9th anniversary of the Smolensk tragedy began early in the morning with the joint laying of wreaths by Sejm Speaker Marek Kuchcinski and Senate Speaker Stanislaw Karczewski, in front of the memorial plaques located in the Parliament. The ceremony was also attended by members of the Presidiums of both Houses of Parliament Deputy Speaker of the Sejm Ryszard Terlecki and Deputy Speaker of the Senate Maria Koc, as well as head of the Sejm Chancellery Agnieszka Kaczmarska. The ceremony was inaugurated in front of the plaque of the late President Lech Kaczynski, the unveiling of which took place on April 9, 2018, forming part of last year's anniversary celebrations. Afterwards, representatives of the Sejm and the Senate went to the plaque dedicated to the memory of former Speaker of the Sejm of the third term Maciej Plajinski, located at the Speaker's entrance to the Sejm's Sitting Room.
The final point of the morning's ceremonies was to pay tribute to all MPs and senators who died on April 10, 2010 on their way to Katyn. A plaque was dedicated to their memory, located in the main hall of the Sejm building on the second floor. Its unveiling took place on October 20, 2010. The plaque incorporates an emblem with the image of the white eagle, which was in the lounge of the TU-154M plane that crashed near Smolensk. Eighteen names of parliamentarians were engraved on the white marble. They were: Sejm Deputy Speakers Krzysztof Putra and Jerzy Szmajdziński, Senate Deputy Speaker Krystyna Bochenek, Sejm deputies Leszek Deptuła, Grzegorz Dolniak, Grażyna Gęsicka, Przemysław Gosiewski, Izabela Jaruga-Nowacka, Sebastian Karpiniuk, Aleksandra Natalli-Świat, Maciej Płażyński, Arkadiusz Rybicki, Jolanta Szymanek-Deresz, Zbigniew Wassermann, Wiesław Woda and Edward Wojtas, as well as senators Janina Fetlińska and Stanisław Zając.
The Speaker of the Sejm also laid flowers on the graves of the victims in the Pantheon of Great Poles in the Temple of Divine Providence, where the last President of the Republic of Poland in exile Ryszard Kaczorowski and the clergy who died on April 10, 2010 are buried. In turn, the names of the Victims were read out at the Presidential Palace.
Marek Kuchcinski and Stanislaw Karczewski attended the morning solemn Mass for the intention of the victims of the Smolensk catastrophe at the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Joseph the Bridegroom in Krakowskie Przedmieście. The service was attended by, among others, deputy speakers of the Sejm and Senate, Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki along with ministers, and Law and Justice (PiS) Chairman Jaroslaw Kaczynski. Parliament is also represented by Agnieszka Kaczmarska, head of the Sejm Chancellery.
After the Mass, the participants of the ceremony went in front of the Presidential Palace, where traditionally at 8:41 a.m. the Memorial Appeal took place. It began with the national anthem, after which the names of the 96 victims of the Smolensk tragedy were read out. A wreath of flowers was laid by Jaroslaw Kaczynski, brother of the late President Lech Kaczynski.
Every year, an important gesture of remembrance is to visit the resting places of the victims of the Smolensk catastrophe, located in several necropolises in and around Warsaw. There was no shortage of this today either. Before noon, at the Temple of Divine Providence in Wilanow, the Speaker of the Sejm paid tribute to the victims of the disaster, resting in the Pantheon of Great Poles: the late President of the Republic of Poland in Exile Ryszard Kaczorowski, the late Rev. Zdzislaw Król - former chaplain of the Warsaw Katyn Family, the late Rev. Andrzej Kwasniak - former chaplain of the Federation of Katyn Families, and the late Rev. Józef Jońc - founder of the "Parafiada" Association.
Meanwhile, at the Bródno Cemetery, a delegation of state authorities placed bouquets on the graves of the employees of the Office of President Lech Kaczynski: the late Katarzyna Doraczynska and the late Pawel Wypych, later on the cemetery in Grabow, where the late Tomasz Merta - Deputy Minister of Culture and National Heritage in 2005-2010 - rests, and at the cemetery in Pyry, at the grave of Rev. Prof. Ryszard Rumianek, rector of Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University.
Another highlight of the pre-morning commemoration of the 9th anniversary of the Smolensk tragedy was the laying of flowers and lighting of candles by Marshal Kuchciński on the graves of the victims of the disaster and at the memorial at the Powązki Military Cemetery.
It was there that ceremonies were also held in the morning. During them, the Sejm was represented by Deputy Speaker Malgorzata Kidawa-Błońska. It was attended by the families of the victims and representatives of local authorities. The names of the victims of the disaster were read out; there was also a joint ecumenical prayer and laying of wreaths.
Marek Kuchcinski, recalling April 10, 2010, wrote:
There are few dates in the pages of our history, the memory of which still pierces us with so much pain. The Smolensk tragedy deeply wounded the heart and soul of our Homeland. It deprived us of President Lech Kaczynski and his wife Maria, as well as dozens of the nation's most prominent representatives. Among them were the last President of the Republic of Poland in exile Ryszard Kaczorowski, deputy speakers of the Sejm and Senate, parliamentarians, heads of state institutions, commanders of the types of the Polish Armed Forces, clergy, representatives of veterans' and social organizations, as well as members of the crew and officers of the Government Protection Bureau.
The Katyn forest - a silent witness to the genocide committed 70 years earlier against Polish officers - has once again become a symbol of suffering and national tragedy.
April 10 changed Poland, and it also changed Poles. The tragedy made us realize anew that human life and death can be at stake in serving one's country. National mourning united in prayer and in marches millions of people manifesting national and civic community, solidarity with the tragically deceased representatives of their state.
The families of the victims asked the natural question at such times: why? We all also asked about the causes of the catastrophe. And although - unfortunately - the answers given have divided us anew, let us gradually - despite the obstacles - move consistently towards the truth. "We Christians know this well: the truth, even the most painful, liberates. It unites. It brings justice. It shows the way to reconciliation," these were the words that were supposed to be in President Lech Kaczynski's speech prepared for April 10, 2010.
We already know about the false bringing of the plane to land by controllers, we know the technical report of the expert subcommittee's research. The truth will come.
Victims of the Smolensk catastrophe: , officials, military officers, social activists stood in April nine years ago - above divisions - next to the democratically elected President, in the service of the Fatherland. Their tragic death was able to unite the entire nation, all citizens of the Republic, into an extraordinary community defending the dignity of their country.
Let's make today and tomorrow so that the sacrifice of their lives is not given in vain. So that our memory does not turn into indifference. As we pay tribute to them at their graves, let us look into our hearts: let us together renew our own commitments to serve Poland. Just as they served her.
Photo: Marta Marchlewska, Rafał Zambrzycki, Łukasz Błasikiewicz/ Sejm
At 7 p.m., the President, the Speaker of the Sejm, the Speaker of the Senate, deputy Speakers of Parliament, parliamentarians and ministers took part in a Mass at St. John the Baptist Basilica in Warsaw for the intention of the victims of the Smolensk catastrophe. After the mass, the memorial march moved to the Presidential Palace, where Lech Kaczynski's brother Jaroslaw, Magdalena Merta and President Andrzej Duda spoke. - The testament they left us is the duty to carry on Polish affairs as best we can. Let from that tragedy, from that terrible pain, also flow the power, the imperative to realize this (...) It is our duty to continue to conduct Polish affairs to the best of our ability. Here among you are many members of the government, MPs, senators, I look at familiar faces. (...) This is our responsibility: before God, the Nation, the Homeland, but also before them. They are looking at us! - said the president.
The Chairman of the Law and Justice party argued that nine years ago it was about regaining what was taken away from Poland - the right to the truth, and this right is for us also the right to dignity. He stressed that the tragedy should be remembered. - We should remember that we still have to do a lot to make our nation compact, have a sense of strength, meaning and justice. Justice, which is extremely necessary for our Homeland to be a true community," said Jaroslaw Kaczynski.
Photo: Marta Olejnik/ Sejm
Marek Kuchcinski, "wPolitics": It is worth recalling the first days after the disaster, how great was the community between people
https://wpolityce.pl/smolensk/442081-marek-kuchcinski-dla-wpolitycepl-o-tragedii-smolenskiej
