Father Tymoteusz Szydlo, 25, celebrated Mass at the church in the southern Polish town of Przecieszyn, where he was baptized as a child, the U.K. newspaper The Catholic Herald reported. He was ordained over the weekend.
“Human words are unable to express the gratitude I owe You, my God,” said the newly ordained priest. “Therefore, I humbly ask You to keep me in Your holy service.”
The priest is a member of the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter, which celebrates a Latin-language Mass in the Extraordinary Form. Fr. Szydlo's mother, Prime Minister Beata Szydlo, heads a government formed by the ruling Law and Justice party.
She said she and her husband are “very happy and proud,” the Associated Press reports. On Pentecost, Fr. Szydlo will celebrate Mass in Krakow at the Priestly Fraternity of St. Peter’s Church of the Holy Cross.
Poland is known for its strong Catholic identity, and is currently considering legislation that would completely ban abortion.
Thousands of Polish pro-lifers have rallied within the last year, calling on parliament to pass a bill that would allow abortions only to save a women’s life. The legislation would increase the maximum prison sentence for unauthorized abortions from two years to five.
Since 1993, Poland’s abortion law allows abortions only for pregnancies that result from rape or incest, that pose a risk to the health of the mother, or that involve a baby with severe deformities.