Polish ex-archbishop asks court to clear spy charge

WARSAW, Feb 14 (Reuters) Former Warsaw archbishop Stanislaw Wielgus asked a special court to clear him of allegations he spied for communist police.

Wielgus was forced to resign last month following the allegations.

Poland's influential Catholic Church and the Vatican were deeply embarrassed by revelations Wielgus collaborated with the communist-era secret police. He was forced to step down only days after his official appointment as archbishop by Pope Benedict.

''We received a request for a vetting procedure from archbishop Wielgus,'' Zbigniew Puszkarski, a judge from a special vetting court, told Reuters yesterday.

In a speech made the day he resigned, Wielgus apologised for his actions. But yesterday his lawyer, Marek Malecki, told PAP news agency Wielgus never ''truly collaborated'' with secret police. He did not elaborate.

Wielgus alleged in January that secret agents had blackmailed and harassed him into cooperating.

Some Poles believe he is the victim of the secret police while others insist he and any other clergy who were spies should be purged from the Church and their names published.

Church leaders said last month they would sift through communist-era files and ask the Vatican to decide the fate of Polish priests who collaborated.

Historians say up to 10 percent of clergy may have cooperated.

REUTERS VD HS0826