Lumen 2018

S TANISLAUS P APCZYNSKI 196 the face of death, he wrote a letter to the Superior General, Fr. Chiara, in which he declared his readiness to ask for forgiveness. 172 In February of 1670, the seminarians from Kazimierz (Casimir and Bernard) also wrote to the Superior General about the great in- justice that was done to Fr. Stanislaus. 173 Father Stanislaus’s stay at the monastery prison in Prievidza ended on March 22, 1670. 174 How did this happen? Release Father Papczynski was released from the monastery prison in Prievidza upon the personal intervention of Nicholas Oborski, Aux- iliary Bishop of Cracow, before Rector Frankovic. Later, Bishop Oborski wrote about it humbly saying that Fr. Stanislaus was released from captivity by Divine Providence. 175 The witnesses in the Infor- mation Process testified, quoting information received from people who knew Fr. Papczynski personally, that it was Bishop Oborski who obtained Papczynski’s release from the monastery prison since he was innocent. 176 We do not know how Bishop Oborski managed to do it. He prob- ably wrote directly to Fr. Frankovic, citing his own jurisdiction over Papczynski. Father Frankovic must have come to the conclusion that the violation of Bishop Trzebicki’s jurisdiction due to Fr. Papczyn- ski’s abduction must have been a result of some misunderstanding and, therefore, with clear conscience, allowed Papczynski to return to Cracow. The Superior General of the Piarists, Fr. Chiara, reacted very strongly to the news of Fr. Papczynski’s release. Having been inac- curately informed that Fr. Papczynski had escaped from Prievidza (“fugam arripuisti”), 177 he ordered him (on May 10, 1670) to return to Prievidza immediately and threatened to excommunicate him if he should disobey this order. When he learned later how the release was obtained (i.e., that it was legal), he demanded that Fr. Opatowski