Day of Islam in the Catholic Church in Poland
Traditionally, after the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity, on January 26, the Day of Islam is celebrated in the Catholic Church in Poland. The motto of this year’s Day of Islam celebrated for the 18th time are the words: “Christians and Muslims: concern for a common home”.
The main meeting as part of the Day of Islam takes place in Warsaw. It is attended by Christians of different religions, Polish Muslims, as well as ambassadors of Muslim countries in Poland. The host of the meeting is Bishop Henryk Ciereszko, President of the Committee for Dialogue with the Non-Christian Religions of the Polish Bishops’ Conference.
The program includes, among others, reading excerpts from the Holy Scriptures and the Koran, praying and communicating the sign of peace, as well as speaking about the Christian and Muslim view of man and nature as God’s creation. Interreligious meetings shall realize how important it is to look for what the two religions have in common.
The Day of Islam in the Catholic Church in Poland is organised by representatives of the Common Council of Catholics and Muslims. On behalf of the Polish Bishops’ Conference, its organization is entrusted to the Committee for Dialogue with the Non-Christian Religions. The President of the Committee from June 2016 is Bishop Henryk Ciereszko from Bialystok. In 2001, the Polish Bishops’ Conference entered the Day of Islam in the official calendar of the Catholic Church in Poland.
