A poll commissioned by Polish Radio finds that 61 percent of respondents believe that President Bronislaw Komorowski should invite Gen. Wojciech Jaruzelski to the beatification of Pope John Paul II in the Vatican on 1 May.

One-in-three Poles, however, believe that the former communist leader of Poland and initiator of the martial law crackdown against Solidarity in 1981 should not attend the ceremony, finds the survey by the Homo Homini institute.  

Earlier this week, presidential minister Slawomir Nowak said Komorowski would invite all former presidents and prime ministers to travel with him to Rome by government plane.

But it is unclear whether General Jaruzelski will receive an invitation as he was never elected to any office by universal suffrage.

“The delegation is not an official one, which is why the President will not be guided by any official protocol. He intends to invite only those who, according to his opinion and his deepest beliefs, can be truly and deeply experience this wonderful day for all Polish people," said choef at the President’s Office, Jacek Michalowski.

Leader of the opposition Law and Justice Jaroslaw Kaczynski and other [party leaders have announced that they will be making their own way to the beatification ceremony, a major stage in in the process of canonising Poland’s one and only pontiff. (pg)