Poland’s Solidarity trade union criticized U.S. Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney for using images of the country and Blessed John Paul II in his campaign.

Marek Lewandowski, the union spokesman, said, “In exploiting pictures of the pope, Mr. Romney is clearly going against the Church’s social principles.

Voters should see the huge contrast between what John Paul II taught and the kind of business practices Romney engages in.”

An August TV ad for Romney said President Barack Obama had declared “war on religion.”

Lewandowski said, “It’s up to Americans to decide whether his religious declarations and identification with the Polish pope fit what he’s done up to now.”

Romney visited Poland July 30-31.

His TV ad, titled Be Not Afraid, showed him warmly greeted by former Polish President Lech Walesa in Gdansk and invoking Blessed John Paul in a speech at Warsaw University.

Lewandowski said members of the 700,000-member Solidarity had “strongly objected” to Walesa’s meeting with Romney, who he said was “known for fighting trade unions,” and to his use of the late pope.