A shocking murder, a watery grave and how a troublesome priest inspired a nation.
Father Jerzy Popieluszko, a popular young parish priest in a suburb of Warsaw, Poland, spoke out against the abuses of communism and supported the then-banned Solidarity labour union. Thousands flocked to hear his Sunday sermons. He was abducted by the Polish secret police on 19 October 1984. His savagely beaten body was found 11 days later in an icy reservoir.
This well-written and meticulously researched account of a tragic episode in Poland's history serves as a testimony to Father Popieluszko's struggle for freedom, basic rights and human dignity.
Written by a former BBC journalist based in Warsaw in the final years of Communist rule, it has all the dramatic elements of a great story: the cynical abuse of power; a population living in grief and fear; one man's central role in the fight for freedom; his abduction and murder at the hands of the secret police; and allegations of a subsequent cover-up.
This account resonates with western perceptions of the dark days behind the iron curtain, with Father Popieluszko's heroic and inspirational stance standing in stark contrast to the mood of the times. Father Popieluszko stands alongside some of history's great freedom fighters such as Gandhi and Mandela and his is an extraordinary story that deserves to be told.
A film called 'To Kill A Priest' was made about Father Popieluszko's life in 1988 starring Christopher Lambert and Ed Harris.
