March 10–12: 404th Plenary Assembly of the Polish Bishops’ Conference in Warsaw (preview)
“Parish of Tomorrow,” the Commission of Independent Experts to examine the phenomenon of sexual abuse of minors in the Catholic Church in Poland, and current pastoral initiatives of the Church are among the topics of the 404th Plenary Assembly of the Polish Bishops’ Conference, which will take place in Warsaw on March 10–12 this year.
https://episkopat.pl/doc/243008.10-12-marca-404-Zebranie-Plenarne-Konferencji-Episkopatu-Polski
https://episkopat.pl/doc/243345.10-12-marzo-404-Assemblea-Plenaria-della-Conferenza-Episcopale
The Secretary General of the Polish Bishops’ Conference, Bishop Marek Marczak, indicated that once again the work on the themes of the Plenary Assembly will be carried out in groups, with the leading topic being parish life in its various aspects. As he explained, the bishops will reflect on this issue in four principal dimensions.
The first – pastoral – includes Christian initiation as well as liturgical and prayer life. The second – catechetical and evangelizing – focuses on life nourished by the Word of God and parish catechesis. The third refers to broadly understood charitable service. The fourth is administration, which concerns responsible and prudent management in a synodal spirit.
The Secretary General of the Polish Bishops’ Conference also announced that representatives of the episcopal conferences of Italy, the Czech Republic, Lithuania, Latvia, Ukraine, Hungary, Slovakia, Spain, Denmark, and Germany will share their reflections. “The invited guests will present models of parish life in their countries, referring to the challenges faced by the contemporary parish, both as an administrative unit of the Church and as a living community of the faithful carrying out its pastoral, evangelizing, and social mission in a dynamically changing cultural reality,” explained Bishop Marczak.
Bishop Marczak noted that the bishops will continue their work aimed at establishing a Commission of Independent Experts to examine the phenomenon of sexual abuse of minors in the Catholic Church in Poland.
Among other topics of the deliberations will be the current activities of the Saint Joseph Foundation of the Polish Bishops’ Conference, which will be presented by its current board, initiatives related to the 300th anniversary of the canonization of St. Stanislaus Kostka, and preparations for the European Taizé Youth Meeting in Łódź.
The Secretary General indicated that at the conclusion of the second day of deliberations, on March 11 at 6:00 p.m., the bishops will celebrate Holy Mass at the Basilica of the Holy Cross in Warsaw. The church is under the care of the Congregation of the Mission (Vincentians), who invited the Polish Bishops’ Conference, on the occasion of the Plenary Assembly, to commemorate the 400th anniversary of the founding of their Congregation, which fell in 2025, as well as the 400th anniversary of the Holy Cross Parish in Warsaw, established in 1626.
Press Office of the Polish Bishops’ Conference
