Warsaw, Poland - Poland's Catholic church appointed a new archbishop of Warsaw on Sunday, replacing a prelate who resigned in disgrace and marking a decisive move away from clerical involvement in national politics.
Kazimierz Nycz, 57, is on the progressive and international wing of the Polish church and has distanced himself from radical priests who want the church to become involved in political parties in the predominantly Catholic country.
He replaces Stanislaw Wielgus, who quit to the embarrassment of the Vatican just hours before his investiture in January after admitting he spied for the communist-era secret police.
At Nycz's request, Sunday's appointment in Warsaw's St. John's Cathedral was a simple affair, without some of the ornate ceremony and processions that usually accompany such occasions.
"I am not in favour of ceremony surrounding my person," Nycz told Poland's TVN 24 television in an interview.
Nycz's appointment comes at a key juncture for the Polish church, which long enjoyed a special status with a native son, the late Pope John Paul, who ran the Vatican for 26 years.
Its position was cemented by the way it helped topple communism when it backed the pro-democracy Solidarity movement.
But since the death of John Paul two years ago it has faced new challenges, some stemming from Poland's entry to the increasingly secular European Union in 2004.
Scandals exposing prominent church members, such as Wielgus, have further shaken its position. Official reports have suggested that up to 10 percent of Poland's clergy may have spied for the communist secret services.
Uncertainties over the role of the church have emerged recently with the activities of a vocal fringe loosely allied to an ultra-nationalist party, the League of Polish Families.
This wing has been campaigning to toughen Poland's already strict abortion laws to make it a crime to terminate a pregnancy even if a woman has been raped or her life is in danger.
The move has split the conservative government. The abortion reform is supported by the League, a minority member of the coalition, but opposed by Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski and his ruling Law and Justice party.
Nycz, although he strongly opposes abortion, argues the church should avoid direct involvement in politics.
He has criticised a powerful Catholic broadcaster, Radio Maryja (Mary), which openly supported the ruling conservatives in the country's last national election in 2005.
"The language of the dialogue on the radio and the attitudes to current politics worry me. Catholic radio cannot involve itself in politics," he told the Catholic Information Agency in an interview published on Sunday.
"The church has a lot of space for pluralism and a variety of political views. As a bishop I have to be open to everybody, not too close to any single option."