Communiqué following the 404th Plenary Assembly of the Polish Bishops’ Conference

https://episkopat.pl/doc/243756.Episkopat-o-biezacych-sprawach-Kosciola-w-Polsce-komunikat-po

https://episkopat.pl/doc/243824.Comunicato-dopo-le-deliberazioni-della-404-Assemblea-Plenaria

We publish the full text of the Communiqué :

Communiqué from the 404th Plenary Assembly
of the Polish Bishops’ Conference

From 10 to 12 March 2026, the 404th Plenary Assembly of the Polish Bishops' Conference was held in Warsaw, chaired by Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda SAC, President of the Polish Bishops' Conference. The meeting was attended by Archbishop John Joseph Kennedy, Secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Archbishop Antonio Guido Filipazzi, Apostolic Nuncio to Poland, and invited representatives of various European episcopates.

1. The central theme of the Assembly was the parish, understood not merely as an administrative unit of the Church, but above all as a community of people with God and with one another. It arises from the proclaimed kerygma, finds expression in the celebration of the liturgy, and is realised in the daily lives of its members. It is a community of sanctification and brotherhood, open, service-oriented and mission-focused. In seeking solutions to current challenges, the bishops focused on key areas of parish life: Christian initiation and the liturgical and prayer dimension, the Word of God and parish catechesis, brotherhood and the diaconia of love, and synodal parish management. The bishops highlighted, among other things, the need for a change in the mindset of the clergy and the faithful, which will enable effective institutional and communal action within the parish, as well as the necessity of ongoing formation to share responsibility for the parish and the need to optimise the functioning of synodal structures, particularly parish pastoral and finance councils. Guests from abroad also shared their experiences on these topics.

2. The bishops approved the theme of the new pastoral program of the Church in Poland for the year 2026/2027, which reads: “The Parish as a Missionary Community.” In accordance with the guidelines of the final document of the Synod on Synodality, the program is intended to serve the renewal of parishes in a synodal and missionary key.

3. The bishops are closely monitoring the changes concerning religious education in schools that have been introduced in violation of the law. Out of concern for the upbringing of young people, they call for the introduction of a mandatory choice between religious education and ethics classes. They also took note of the approval by the Commission for Catholic Education of the religion curriculum for schools prepared according to the revised core curriculum. The new curricula and textbooks will be introduced starting 1 September 2027. The bishops emphasized the necessity of providing parish catechesis that includes not only children and youth, but also adults. Serious concern has been raised by emerging information about the possible introduction of mandatory health education. The bishops recall that this type of education – because some of its content touches upon worldview and religious beliefs, as well as ethical and moral principles – should remain a matter for parents to decide.

4. After completing consultations with the Conference of Major Superiors of Male Religious Orders in Poland and the Conference of Major Superiors of Female Religious Congregations in Poland, and after concluding the appropriate agreements with these bodies, the bishops decided to establish a Commission of Independent Experts to examine the phenomenon of the sexual abuse of minors in the Catholic Church in Poland and to grant it public ecclesiastical legal personality. The principles governing its operation and its statute were adopted. These documents have opened the legal path to appointing the chairperson of the Commission and initiating further procedures.

5. The bishops decided to open, at the Catholic Academy in Warsaw, a program of studies preparing participants for the ministry of spiritual deliverance. The three-semester program will be offered exclusively to priests who receive a recommendation from their own ordinary. The curriculum will consist of both lectures and practical workshops covering knowledge from the fields of theology, philosophy, canon law, psychology, and psychiatry. The program will begin in the new academic year.

6.  In view of the tense and complex international situation, especially the war in Ukraine and in the Middle East, the bishops – in communion with Pope Leo XIV – appeal for perseverance in prayer for peace in the world, as well as for comprehensive assistance to those who most need it as a consequence of armed conflicts. At the same time, they express gratitude for the generosity and all the help that the faithful in our country have offered to those in need through Caritas Poland, diocesan Caritas offices, and other charitable organizations of the Church. Expressing their appreciation to all who care for the security of our homeland, the bishops also appeal that, guided by concern for the common good, efforts be undertaken to overcome divisions and to calm social tensions in our country, which is the foundation for preserving peace and national security.

7. On 13 April this year, we will commemorate the 40th anniversary of the visit of St. John Paul II to the Roman synagogue. On this occasion, the Polish Bishops’ Conference addressed a letter to the faithful concerning the relationship of the Catholic Church to Jews and Judaism.

Celebrating the Holy Mass in the Basilica of the Holy Cross in Warsaw, on the 400th anniversary of the founding of the Congregation of the Mission of St. Vincent de Paul and the 400th anniversary of the local parish, the bishops entrusted to God all matters of the Church and the homeland, and bestowed their pastoral blessing upon their compatriots in the country and abroad.

Signed by the pastors of the Catholic Church in Poland present at the 404th Plenary Assembly of the Polish Bishops’ Conference.

Warsaw, 12 March 2026