Communiqué from the 400th Plenary Assembly of the Polish Bishops' Conference

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Communiqué from the 400th Plenary Assembly of the Polish Bishops' Conference

The 400th Plenary Assembly of the Polish Bishops‘ Conference was held in Warsaw from 12 to 14 March 2025 under the chairmanship of Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda SAC, President of the Polish Bishops’ Conference.

1. On the occasion of the 12th anniversary of the election of Pope Francis to the See of Peter, the bishops sent occasional greetings to the Pope. In them they stressed that, following in the footsteps of St Francis of Assisi, the Holy Father teaches us how to love God and people, especially those most in need. They assured the Pope of their closeness and the gift of their prayers as he carries the cross of suffering with Christ. They also celebrated the Eucharist for him at the Temple of Divine Providence in Warsaw-Wilanów.

2. One of the main topics of the meeting was the life, ministry and formation of presbyters. The results of a study on their life situation and pastoral work were analysed. A model of priestly formation was presented, enabling a multidimensional response to the variety of challenges, tasks and problems faced by presbyters and candidates to the priesthood in the contemporary world. It also discusses the state and directions of formation in the seminaries and how the pastoral care of vocations functions.

3. The bishops express their strong opposition to the changes introduced by the Ministry of National Education in the organisation of religious education in school. They consider as unfair and unjust the provisions on the reduction of the weekly dimension of religious education from two hours to one hour, the placement of religious education classes immediately before and after compulsory classes and the combination of classes. In introducing these changes, the Ministry of National Education acted unlawfully, as it did not take into account the agreement with Churches and religious associations required by law. For this reason, the Polish Bishops' Conference continues to take all possible legal action in defence of religious education in public schools. The bishops thank all those who in various ways, through other social and civic initiatives, support efforts to defend religious education in schools and the religious education of young people. The bishops support the initiative to collect signatures for a civic bill on the compulsory choice of religious education or ethics lessons.

4. The bishops undertook a wide-ranging debate on the role of media coverage in the proclamation of the Gospel. They familiarised themselves with the current situation of Catholic editorial offices in Polish Radio and Polish Television. They also analysed the activities of media entities dependent on the Polish Bishops' Conference, pointing to the need to strengthen cooperation between them for the best possible service to the Church.

5. Discussing the matters of the Delegate of the Polish Bishops’ Conference for the Protection of Children and Adolescents, the bishops took up the topic of the project to establish a Commission of independent experts to investigate the phenomenon of sexual abuse of minors in the Catholic Church in Poland. The bishops emphasise that the Commission is needed, should be established and should be historical in nature with the necessary elements of interdisciplinary analysis. A number of comments have been made on the draft Commission presented, which will be forwarded to the team working on defining the shape of the Commission. Further consultations on this matter will also be needed with the Conference of Major Superiors of Male Religious Orders and the Conference of Major Superiors of Female Religious Congregations in Poland.

6. Observing with hope the attempts being made to bring an end to the war in Ukraine, the bishops appeal for further prayer for this intention. Defining the principles of a just peace now becomes a key task.

In the Jubilee Year, praying in front of the Miraculous Crucifix in the Baryczka Chapel in the capital's Archcathedral, the bishops inaugurated the celebrations of the 500th anniversary of its importation to Warsaw. In this special place, they also commended to God the important affairs of the Church and the Homeland. They give their pastoral blessing to all their compatriots at home and in exile.

Signed by the shepherds of the Catholic Church in Poland present at the 400th Plenary Assembly of the Polish Bishops' Conference.

Warsaw, 14 March 2025