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59-577: Popiełuszko has been recognized as a martyr by the Catholic Church and was beatified on 6 June 2010 by Cardinal Angelo Amato on behalf of Pope Benedict XVI . An alleged miracle attributed to his intercession, which could lead to his canonization , is now under investigation. Popiełuszko was born on 14 September 1947 in Okopy , near Suchowola . After finishing school, he attended the priests' seminary at Warsaw . In 1966–1968, he served his army duties in

118-501: A Hellenistic civilization ) by their Seleucid overlords, being executed for such crimes as observing the Sabbath , circumcising their boys or refusing to eat pork or meat sacrificed to foreign gods . However, the notion of martyrdom in the Jewish and Christian traditions differ considerably. In Christianity , a martyr, in accordance with the meaning of the original Greek term martys in

177-514: A form of memoralizing the dead within some narrative, such as how the victims of the 2020 Beirut explosion were called ‘martyrs of corruption’ as a form of protest against the government. The wide usage of ‘martyr’ is not restricted to Arabic. Armenian culture likewise uses the term for the victims of the Armenian genocide , who are called Holy Martyrs . April 24 is Armenian Genocide Memorial Day , and also called "Armenian Martyrs Day". Martyrdom

236-563: A group of Italian pro-independence fighters condemned to death by hanging in 1853 during the Italian Risorgimento . They included Tito Speri and the priest Enrico Tazzoli and are named after the site where the sentence was carried out, in the valley of Belfiore at the south entrance to Mantua . The Tolpuddle Martyrs were a group of 19th century agricultural labourers in Dorset , England, who were arrested for and convicted of swearing

295-582: A humantiarian activist, he is called a martyr by Al-Jazeera . Martyrdom is also tied with nationalism, because a martyr can be a person who died in the context of national struggle. For example, in Beirut, Martyrs' Square is a public square that's dedicated to Lebanese nationalists who were executed by the Ottomans. In Palestine, the word ‘martyr’ is traditionally used to mean a person killed by Israeli forces, regardless of religion. For example, Shireen Abu Akleh

354-579: A monument containing Father Popiełuszko's motto "Overcome evil with good" written in Polish and in Hungarian was unveiled in the Csepel district of the Hungarian capital. In Csepel, there is also a street named after Father Popiełuszko and a belfry in his honor. Meanwhile, in 2016 in the Óbuda-Békásmegyer district of Budapest there is a square named after Father Popiełuszko and a monument consisting of stones that make up

413-509: A political belief or cause. The Manchester Martyrs were three Irishmen executed after being condemned for association with the killing of a policeman in Manchester , England in 1867. The day after the executions, Frederick Engels wrote to Karl Marx : "Yesterday morning the Tories, by the hand of Mr Calcraft, accomplished the final act of separation between England and Ireland. The only thing that

472-407: A religious belief or other cause as demanded by an external party. In colloquial usage, the term can also refer to any person who suffers a significant consequence in protest or support of a cause. In the martyrdom narrative of the remembering community, this refusal to comply with the presented demands results in the punishment or execution of an individual by an oppressor. Accordingly, the status of

531-462: A rosary featuring quotes by Popiełuszko. There is also a monument in the French city of Béziers. The Roman Catholic Church started the process of his beatification with the declaration of nihil obstat (nothing against) on 15 March 1996 and held a diocesan process from 8 February 1997 to 8 February 2001. This conferred upon him the title of Servant of God . In 2008 the positio was submitted to

590-465: A secret oath as members of the Friendly Society of Agricultural Labourers. The rules of the society showed it was clearly structured as a friendly society , that is, a mutual association for the purposes of insurance, pensions, savings or cooperative banking; and it operated as a trade-specific benefit society . But at the time, friendly societies had strong elements of what are now considered to be

649-507: A set of stamps on that same day to mark the beatification. In October 2013, Cardinal Kazimierz Nycz – the Archbishop of Warsaw , the diocese where Popiełuszko was killed – announced that a miracle attributed to the intercession of the Polish priest has been identified and confirmed in France . Thus Cardinal Nycz predicts that Popiełuszko will likely be canonized soon, based on the credibility of

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708-709: A special force in Bartoszyce , aimed at keeping young men from becoming priests. This treatment had no effect on Popiełuszko's beliefs, as, after finishing his army service, he continued his studies; however, the repeated punishments for his resistance affected his health for the rest of his life. Popiełuszko was ordained a priest by Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński in May 1972. As a young priest he first served in Ząbki near Warsaw in 1972–1975. Afterwards, he served in parishes in Warsaw, which consisted of

767-527: Is an Arabic term in Islam meaning "witness", and is also used to denote a martyr; a female martyr is named shahida . The term Shahid occurs frequently in the Quran in the generic sense "witness", but only once in the sense "martyr, one who dies for his faith"; this latter sense acquires wider use in the ḥadīth literature . Islam views a martyr as a man or woman who dies while conducting jihad , whether on or off

826-509: Is available on the Music Box Records label ( website ). The main theme, "Crimes of Cain", was written and performed by Joan Baez . To Kill a Priest has an approval rating of 67% on review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes , based on 6 reviews, and an average rating of 5.8/10. This article related to a French film of the 1980s is a stub . You can help Misplaced Pages by expanding it . This article related to an American film of

885-662: Is compared and contrasted with the coverage of murders of Óscar Romero and other Latin American clergy by US-backed forces. There are numerous monuments to Fr. Popiełuszko in Poland, including the towns of Suchowola , where he attended and graduated high school, Bartoszyce , where he served his army duties, and Ząbki , where he first served as a priest. The places of his kidnapping in Górsk and death in Włocławek are commemorated with monuments in

944-573: Is inscribed with the Polish Title Zło Dobrem Zwyciężaj : "This human rights monument of common fieldstone and steel is built in memory of Father Jerzy Popieluszko who gave his life to God and to the goals of Solidarność – human rights, justice, peace and freedom for Poland and for all mankind. May this eternal flame of liberty and the memory of his courage and sacrifice burn forever in the hearts of all freedom-loving people. 1947 Good shall vanquish evil 1984" The abstract sculpture of

1003-525: Is inspired by Popiełuszko's work and death. To Kill a Priest (1988) is a movie directed by Agnieszka Holland and starring Christopher Lambert as a character based on Jerzy Popiełuszko. A track entitled "Homily to Popiełuszko" is featured on the B-side to the album Flajelata (1986) by Muslimgauze . The entire B-side of that album is dedicated to all dissidents from the Soviet Union . A transcript of

1062-423: Is killed because of their religion, it is more generally used to mean a person who died a violent death. Thus it can arguably mean a general ‘victim’. A person is a martyr if they were killed because of their identity, because of natural disasters like earthquakes, or while performing relief or health care work. For example, İbrahim Bilgen was killed by Israel in the 2010 Gaza flotilla raid . Because he died as

1121-405: Is one of the main examples of Kiddush Hashem , meaning "sanctification of God's name" through public dedication to Jewish practice. Religious martyrdom is considered one of the more significant contributions of Hellenistic Judaism to Western Civilization . 1 Maccabees and 2 Maccabees recount numerous martyrdoms suffered by Jews resisting Hellenizing (adoption of Greek ideas or customs of

1180-568: Is the belief of righteous duty ( dharma ), where violence is used as a last resort to resolution after all other means have failed. Examples of this are found in the Mahabharata . Upon completion of their exile, the Pandavas were refused the return of their portion of the kingdom by their cousin Duruyodhana; and following which all means of peace talks by Krishna , Vidura and Sanjaya failed. During

1239-558: The Baháʼí Faith , martyrs are those who sacrifice their lives serving humanity in the name of God. However, Bahá'u'lláh , the founder of the Baháʼí Faith, discouraged the literal meaning of sacrificing one's life. Instead, he explained that martyrdom is devoting oneself to service to humanity. In politics, a martyr is someone who suffers persecution and/or death for advocating, renouncing, refusing to renounce, and/or refusing to advocate

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1298-575: The Congregation for the Causes of Saints and on 19 December 2009 it was announced that Pope Benedict XVI had approved the decree for the beatification of Father Popiełuszko. He was beatified by Archbishop Angelo Amato on 6 June 2010 in Warsaw's Piłsudski Square . His mother, Marianna Popiełuszko, was present at the event. More than 100,000 people attended the open-air Mass in the Polish capital Warsaw to beatify Father Jerzy Popieluszko. Poland Post issued

1357-520: The Fenians still lacked were martyrs. ... To my knowledge, the only time that anybody has been executed for a similar matter in a civilised country was the case of John Brown at Harpers Ferry. The Fenians could not have wished for a better precedent." Ten Irish Republican Army members died during a 1981 hunger strike , including Bobby Sands . The Belfiore martyrs (in Italian , Martiri di Belfiore ) were

1416-647: The Longhua Martyrs' Memorial . Many communist activists have died as martyrs in India, due to their allegiance to various communist parties, such as the CPI(M) and the CPI . Most of them hail from mainly leftist states such as Kerala , and Tripura . In Kerala, many are killed in protests by the police, and some are assassinated by activists in other political parties, such as the INC and

1475-790: The New Testament , is one who brings a testimony, usually written or verbal. In particular, the testimony is that of the Christian Gospel , or more generally, the Word of God . A Christian witness is a biblical witness whether or not death follows. The concept of Jesus as a martyr has recently received greater attention. Analyses of the Passion narratives in the Gospels have led many scholars to conclude that they are martyrdom accounts in terms of genre and style. Several scholars have also concluded that Paul

1534-613: The RSS . The district of Kannur has reported to have had the most political murders. Here, the RSS are known to have used brutal violence to eliminate CPI(M) workers. In the United States , the assassinations of Malcolm X in 1965 and Martin Luther King Jr. in 1968 have been linked to their leadership in movements to improve the rights and quality of life of black citizens, black nationalism and

1593-451: The archetypal martyr. The word martyr is used in English to describe a wide variety of people. However, the following table presents a general outline of common features present in stereotypical martyrdoms. In contemporary Middle Eastern cultures, the term for 'martyr’ (Arabic shahid ) has more uses than the English word ‘martyr’. While the term can be narrowly used for a person who

1652-451: The civil rights movement respectively. A political martyr is someone who suffers persecution or death for advocating, renouncing, refusing to renounce, or refusing to advocate a political belief or cause. The term "revolutionary martyr" usually relates to those dying in revolutionary struggle. During the 20th century, the concept was developed in particular in the culture and propaganda of communist or socialist revolutions, although it

1711-419: The state religion , which greatly diminished persecution (although not for non-Nicene Christians). As some wondered how then they could most closely follow Christ there was a development of desert spirituality characterized by a eremitic lifestyle , renunciation , self-mortification , and separation from the world, practiced by several desert monks and Christian ascetics in late antiquity (such as Paul

1770-426: The 'martyr' can be considered a posthumous title as a reward for those who are considered worthy of the concept of martyrdom by the living, regardless of any attempts by the deceased to control how they will be remembered in advance. Insofar, the martyr is a relational figure of a society's boundary work that is produced by collective memory . Originally applied only to those who suffered for their religious beliefs,

1829-567: The Apostle understood Jesus' death as a martyrdom. In light of such conclusions, some have argued that the early Christians of the first three centuries would have interpreted the crucifixion of Jesus as a martyrdom. In the context of church history , from the time of the persecution of early Christians in the Roman Empire under the Julio-Claudian dynasty , it developed that a martyr

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1888-596: The Baptist , Jesus's possible cousin and his prophet and forerunner. The first Christian witness, after the establishment of the Christian faith at Pentecost , to be killed for his testimony was Saint Stephen (whose name means "crown"), and those who suffer martyrdom are said to have been "crowned". From the time of the Roman Emperor Constantine , Christianity was decriminalized, and then, under Theodosius I , became

1947-622: The Canadian physician Tillson Harrison —are honored and commemorated as martyrs. The red scarf worn by the 100+ million Young Pioneers honors their spilt blood. Jiang Zhuyun and Liu Hulan are notable female martyrs who have been commemorated in various media. Notable monuments include the Monument to the People's Heroes at the confluence of Suzhou Creek and the Huangpu River in central Shanghai and

2006-586: The Church authorities in England in the 16th and 17th centuries. Even more modern day accounts of martyrdom for Christ exist, depicted in books such as Jesus Freaks , though the numbers are disputed. The claim that 100,000 Christians are killed for their faith annually is greatly exaggerated according to the BBC , with many of those deaths due to war, but the fact of ongoing Christian martyrdoms remains undisputed. Shahid

2065-611: The Church of England after 1534. Two hundred and eighty-eight Christians were martyred for their faith by public burning between 1553 and 1558 by the Roman Catholic Queen Mary I in England leading to the reversion to the Church of England under Queen Elizabeth I in 1559. "From hundreds to thousands" of Waldensians were martyred in the Massacre of Mérindol in 1545. Three-hundred Roman Catholics were said to have been martyred by

2124-572: The Hermit and Anthony the Great ). This was a kind of white martyrdom , dying to oneself every day, as opposed to a red martyrdom , the giving of one's life in a violent death. In the history of Christianity, death due to sectarian persecutions by other Christians has been regarded as martyrdom as well. There were martyrs recognized on both sides of the schism between the Roman Catholic Church and

2183-554: The battlefield (see greater jihad and lesser jihad ). The concept of martyrdom in Islam became prominent during the Islamic Revolution in Iran (1979) and the subsequent Iran–Iraq War (1980–1988), so that the cult of the martyr had a lasting impact on the course of revolution and war. Since the early 2000s, it has been primarily associated with Islamic extremism and jihadism . In

2242-517: The case presented. A miracle was investigated in a diocesan process in France from 20 September 2014 until 14 September 2015 and the results of that investigation turned over to the Vatican for assessment. Martyr A martyr ( Greek : μάρτυς , mártys , 'witness' stem μαρτυρ- , martyr- ) is someone who suffers persecution and death for advocating, renouncing, or refusing to renounce or advocate,

2301-533: The common people as well as students. In 1981, Jerzy Popiełuszko joined the workers, taking part with strikers in the Warsaw Steelworks . Thereafter he was associated with workers and trade unionists from the Solidarity movement who opposed the communist regime in Poland . He was a staunch opponent of the communist regime and, in his sermons, interwove spiritual exhortations with political messages, criticizing

2360-626: The eternal flame was created by Henry Chotkowski and dedicated on June 16, 1989. An aluminum plaque on the stone wall surrounding the sculpture explains the significance of the sculpture. The rock that was used to kill Popiełuszko was placed in the San Bartolomeo all'Isola in Rome as a relic of a 20th-century martyr, part of the memorial to 20th– and 21st–century martyrs. There are two monuments commemorating Father Popiełuszko in Budapest , Hungary . In 2017,

2419-562: The extended meaning of believers who are called to witness for their religious belief, and on account of this witness, endure suffering or death. The term, in this later sense, entered the English language as a loanword . The death of a martyr or the value attributed to it is called martyrdom . The early Christians who first began to use the term martyr in its new sense saw Jesus as the first and greatest martyr, on account of his crucifixion . The early Christians appear to have seen Jesus as

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2478-635: The form of a bust bearing his likeness with a chain wrapped about his neck was erected on the property of Saint Hedwig Catholic Church in Trenton , New Jersey . A pocket park across from McCarren Park on the Williamsburg - Greenpoint border in Brooklyn, New York, a historically Polish neighborhood, is named for Fr. Popiełuszko and features a stone bust bearing his likeness. Popieluszko Court in Hartford, Connecticut ,

2537-574: The form of crosses. There is also a museum dedicated to him in Suchowola. The first monument of Jerzy Popiełuszko was created by Polish sculptor and dissident Marek Sobociński, and was unveiled in 1986 in Mariaholm near Askim , Norway . A monument to Fr. Popiełuszko in the form of a symbolic gravestone in the shape of a cross was erected by Chicago's Polish community in the garden of memory next to St. Hyacinth Basilica . A monument to Fr. Popiełuszko in

2596-521: The government, expressing solidarity with the interned and motivating people to protest. During the period of martial law , the Catholic Church was the only force that could voice protest comparatively openly, with the regular celebration of Mass presenting opportunities for public gatherings in churches. Popiełuszko's sermons were routinely broadcast by Radio Free Europe , and thus became known throughout Poland for their uncompromising stance against

2655-666: The great war which commenced, even Arjuna was brought down with doubts, e.g., attachment, sorrow, fear. This is where Krishna instructs Arjuna how to carry out his duty as a righteous warrior and fight. Martyrdom (called shahadat in Punjabi) is a fundamental concept in Sikhism and represents an important institution of the faith. Sikhs believe in Ibaadat se Shahadat (from love to martyrdom). Some famous Sikh martyrs include: Martyrdom in Judaism

2714-875: The late 1980s. Popiełuszko's murderers – Captain Grzegorz Piotrowski, Leszek Pękala, Waldemar Chmielewski and Colonel Adam Pietruszka, responsible for giving the order to kill – received prison sentences. Popiełuszko was posthumously awarded the Order of the White Eagle , Poland's highest decoration, in 2009. He was buried in St. Stanislaus Kostka Church, Warsaw , where millions of visitors paid tribute, including famous politicians like U.S. Vice President George Bush in September 1987. Noted Polish composer Andrzej Panufnik composed his Bassoon Concerto (1985) in memory of Popiełuszko. The work

2773-416: The principal role of trade unions , and wages were at issue. The Tolpuddle Martyrs were sentenced not to death but to transportation to Australia , a harsh form of exile. In the People's Republic of China , people who died in the cause of the Communist Party —most particularly the many victims of the 1927 Shanghai massacre but also including devoted humanitarians during the Chinese Civil War such as

2832-430: The regime. Invited by the Pastoral Care of the Working People ( Polish : Duszpasterstwa Ludzi Pracy ), Popiełuszko arrived in Bydgoszcz on 19 October 1984. At 18:00, he celebrated Holy Mass at the Church of the Holy Polish Brothers Martyrs . A car accident had been set up to kill Popiełuszko on 13 October 1984 but he evaded it. The alternative plan was to kidnap him; it was carried out on 19 October 1984. The priest

2891-467: The term has come to be used in connection with people killed for a political cause. Most martyrs are considered holy or are respected by their followers, becoming symbols of exceptional leadership and heroism in the face of difficult circumstances. Martyrs play significant roles in religions. Similarly, martyrs have had notable effects in secular life, including such figures as Socrates , among other political and cultural examples. In its original meaning,

2950-402: The trial of Popiełuszko's murderers was used in producing a play, Ronald Harwood 's documentary drama The Deliberate Death of a Polish Priest. It was premiered at the Almeida Theatre in October 1985. A movie, Popiełuszko,  [ pl ] documenting the life and death of Popiełuszko, was released in Poland in February 2009. Another film, Jerzy Popieluszko: Messenger of the Truth ,

3009-401: The word martyr, meaning witness , was used in the secular sphere as well as in the New Testament of the Bible . The process of bearing witness was not intended to lead to the death of the witness, although it is known from ancient writers (e.g., Josephus ) and from the New Testament that witnesses often died for their testimonies. During the early Christian centuries, the term acquired

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3068-401: Was a Palestinian Christian journalist who was killed by Israeli forces, and Arabic media calls her a ‘martyr’. This reflects a communal belief that every Palestinian death is part of a resistance against Israeli occupation. Children are likewise called martyrs, such as the late children of journalist Wael Al-Dahdouh who were killed in an Israeli airstrike. The label of martyrdom is used as

3127-490: Was and is also used in relation to nationalist revolutions. To Kill a Priest To Kill a Priest is a 1988 drama film directed by Agnieszka Holland . The film tells a story based on the murder, under the Polish communist regime , of the priest Jerzy Popiełuszko . It stars Christopher Lambert as a fictionalized version of Popiełuszko and Ed Harris as the secret police captain set to assassinate him. The CD soundtrack composed and conducted by Georges Delerue

3186-415: Was beaten to death by three Security Police officers: Captain Grzegorz Piotrowski, Leszek Pękala, and Waldemar Chmielewski. They pretended to have problems with their car and flagged down Popiełuszko's car for help. Popiełuszko was severely beaten, tied up and put in the trunk of the car. The officers bound a stone to his feet and dropped him into the Vistula Water Reservoir near Włocławek from where his body

3245-447: Was extensively promoted by the Tongmenghui and the Kuomintang party in modern China. Revolutionaries who died fighting against the Qing dynasty in the Xinhai Revolution and throughout the Republic of China period, furthering the cause of the revolution, were recognized as martyrs. According to Stephen Knapp, despite the promotion of ahimsa (non-violence) within Sanatana Dharma , and there being no concept of martyrdom, there

3304-537: Was named in his memory. The SS. Cyril & Methodius Church is located on this street, serving as an important cornerstone for the area's Catholic Polish-American community. The street intersects with Charter Oak Boulevard, with the main entrance to the parking lot of the Polish National Home of Hartford across the street at the end of Popieluszko Court. A two-part monument has been installed in New Britain's Walnut Hill Park consisting of an inscribed stone plaque near an abstract sculpture of an eternal flame. The stone

3363-431: Was one who was killed for maintaining a religious belief , knowing that this will almost certainly result in imminent death (though without intentionally seeking death). This definition of martyr is not specifically restricted to the Christian faith. Christianity recognizes certain Old Testament Jewish figures, like Abel and the Maccabees , as holy, and the New Testament mentions the imprisonment and beheading of John

3422-426: Was produced by Paul G. Hensler in 2013. In the television show The Americans , the episode " Duty and Honor " in season one featured a fictional Polish resistance leader loosely based on Popiełuszko. In their work Manufacturing Consent , Edward S. Herman and Noam Chomsky used Popiełuszko's murder and subsequent media coverage in the United States as a case study of their " propaganda model ", in which it

3481-411: Was recovered on 30 October 1984. News of the political murder caused an uproar throughout Poland, and the murderers and one of their superiors, Colonel Adam Pietruszka, were convicted of the crime. A huge crowd estimated to be between 600,000 to 1   million, including Lech Wałęsa , attended his funeral on 3 November 1984. The murder was widely used in political propaganda of the Polish opposition in

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