St. Patrick's Cathedral held a service last night to mourn the death of Polish president Lech Kaczynski and the 96 others on his plane, which crashed in Russia on Saturday morning. The service was actually planned earlier as a commemoration of Polish Pope John Paul II, who died five years ago this month, but turned into a tribute to Kaczynski in the wake of the tragic news. One Brooklyn resident told the Daily News, "He was my president. Everyone in Poland loved him. He died too soon."
Meanwhile, Polish neighborhoods and businesses continue to mourn the president's death across the city, draping Polish flags with black ribbons in their windows and even shutting down streets. Police had to close off the streets near St. Stanislaus Kostka Church in Greenpoint as hundreds mourners who couldn't fit inside the church gathered outside. Kaczynski was known and loved for helping to bridge the cultural barrier between Poles and Jews, laying the groundwork for a Jewish history museum in Warsaw set to open in 2012. According to the Post, the plane crash was caused by pilot error, and there was no evidence of mechanical failure.
