13–15 October: 402nd Plenary Assembly of the Polish Bishops’ Conference in Gdańsk
The Church’s position on migration, the status of work on establishing a Commission of independent experts, and issues related to Religious Education in schools and parish catechesis will be the main topics of the 402nd Plenary Assembly of the Polish Bishops’ Conference, which will be held in Gdańsk from 13 to 15 October this year.
https://episkopat.pl/doc/235919.13-15-pazdziernika-402-Zebranie-Plenarne-Konferencji-Episkopatu
https://episkopat.pl/doc/235947.13-15-ottobre-402-Assemblea-Plenaria-della-Conferenza
This year’s autumn Plenary Assembly of the Polish Bishops’ Conference will be held in Gdańsk in connection with the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the Diocese of Gdańsk, which was elevated to the rank of archdiocese in 1992.
The Secretary General of the Polish Bishops’ Conference Bishop Marek Marczak announced that among the topics to be discussed by the Plenary Assembly during the meeting will be migration issues and the position of the Church in Poland on this phenomenon. “Issues related to this topic will be presented by Bishop Krzysztof Zadarko, President of the Council of the Polish Bishops’ Conference for Migration. The bishops will discuss the current situation of migrants in Poland, especially refugees from Ukraine and many other countries. They will address, among other things, the pastoral care of foreigners in the dioceses,” noted Bishop Marczak.
The Secretary General of the Polish Episcopate pointed out that the bishops will also review the progress of work on establishing a Commission of independent experts to investigate the sexual abuse of minors by some clergy. “Bishop Sławomir Oder’s team has completed work on the documents, which have been forwarded to the Legal Council of the Polish Bishops’ Conference. During the Plenary Assembly, the bishops will review the opinion of this body, which will enable them to move forward with the procedure for establishing the Commission,” he said.
Among the topics of the 402nd Plenary Assembly will also be issues related to Religious Education in schools and parish catechesis. “The President of the Commission of the Polish Bishops’ Conference for Catholic Education, Bishop Wojciech Osial, will present to the bishops the status of work on the new core curriculum for Religious Education in schools and parish catechesis. The citizen-initiated bill Yes to Religion and Ethics in Schools, which has been referred by the Sejm for further work in committees, will also be discussed,” said Bishop Marczak. He added that the bishops will also review data on the number of students enrolled this year in Religious Education classes in schools.
During the Plenary Assembly, the state of preparations for the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the Letter of the Polish bishops to the German bishops, which will take place in November in Wrocław, will also be presented.
Bishop Marczak announced that at the end of the second day of deliberations, on 14 October, the bishops will celebrate the Eucharist in Oliwa Cathedral in Gdańsk. The Holy Mass will be presided over by the Papal Legate for the celebrations of the 100th anniversary of the Archdiocese of Gdańsk, Cardinal Dominik Duka, Senior Archbishop of the Archdiocese of Prague.
Press Office of the Polish Bishops’ Conference
