10-12 June: 398th Plenary Assembly of the Polish Bishops' Conference in Warsaw (announcement)
The issue of religious education at school, the functioning of the work of the Plenary Assembly of the Polish Bishops‘ Conference and the election of a new General Secretary of the Polish Bishops’ Conference will be the main topics of the 398th Plenary Assembly of the Polish Episcopate, to be held in Warsaw on 10-12 June this year.
This year's summer Plenary Assembly will be held at the Secretariat of the Polish Bishops' Conference in Warsaw. “The main topic of the Plenary Assembly will be the matter of religious education at school in the context of the changes proposed by the Ministry of National Education. The current state of talks on this topic between the Working Group for contacts with the Government of Poland on religious education at school and the Ministry of National Education will be presented to the bishops by Bishop Wojciech Osial, chairman of the Commission for Catholic Education of the Polish Episcopate. Group work will also be undertaken so that the deliberations will also include the experience of synodality, which is so strongly emphasised by Pope Francis” – informed Bishop Artur G. Miziński, Secretary General of the Episcopate.
Bishop Miziński noted that the bishops will also look into the question of the methodology of the work of the Plenary Assemblies. “We want to consider whether the way of conducting the deliberations that has functioned so far is adequate to the current challenges, or whether something should be added or changed” – he noted.
Bishop Miziński stressed that the 398th Plenary Assembly is also important because of the election of the General Secretary of the Polish Bishops’ Conference. “After 10 years of exercising this function, my work in the Secretariat of the Polish Bishops’ Conference is coming to an end. At the forthcoming Plenary Assembly, my successor will be elected, to whom I already wish much strength and the light of the Holy Spirit to fulfil this work” – he stressed.
In addition, the status of work on the preparation of a project on priestly formation will be addressed, presented by Bishop Damian Bryl. In turn, Fr Miroslaw Tykfer will share his experience of the meeting “Parish Priests for the Synod”, which took place in Sacrofano near Rome from 28 April to 2 May.
On the second day of the Plenary Assembly, the bishops will celebrate the Holy Mass at St Stanislaus Kostka Church in Warsaw's Żoliborz district, where the tomb of Blessed Father Jerzy Popiełuszko is located. The occasion for the solemn celebration is this year's 40th anniversary of the martyrdom of Blessed Father Popiełuszko.
Immediately prior to the beginning of the Plenary Assembly, a meeting of the Permanent Council of the Polish Bishops' Conference will be held to discuss current issues of the Church in Poland.
Press Office of the Polish Bishops’ Conference
