Polish Society
Churches and religious life in Poland
There are one hundred and thirty-eight registered churches and religious
associations in Poland.
The biggest numbers belong to the Catholic Church, approximately 95% of
the religious segment of Polish society. Ther are four branches of Catholicism
in Poland (viz. all four in communion with Rome): the Byzantine-Ukrainian,
Neo-Uniate, Armenian, and Roman Catholics. The last-mentioned is the biggest,
and in 1998 numbered over 25 million (9,990 parishes and some 28 thousand
priests).
In 1996 Pope John Paul II issued a bull which reformed the territorial
division of the Church in Poland. There are now 40 dioceses and 13 Latin
metropolitan archdioceses, and one Byzantine-Ukrainian metropolitan
archdiocese. The head of a diocese is its bishop. All the bishops together
constitute the Episcopate of Poland. Since 1981, the head of the Conference of
the Episcopate has been the current Primate of Poland, Cardinal Józef Glemp.
Numerous religious organisations and institutions operate throughout the
country as well as abroad (e.g. Polish Catholic missions, operating mostly in
Third World countries), together with catechist groups (involved in the
teaching of religious instruction in schools) and a vast number of monastic
orders and congregations, for both monks and nuns (e.g. Franciscans, Jesuits,
Michaelites, Salesians, Redemptorists, Sisters of St. Elisabeth, Ursulines,
Sisters of Charity, etc.).
Apart from the Catholic Church there are several large Christian churches
and a few score smaller churches and religious groups in Poland. The Polish
Autocephalous Orthodox Church is the second largest official religious
organisation. About 550 thousand laypersons and 320 priests belong to it. Most
of the Orthodox Christians in Poland are members of the Byelorussian minority
in the eastern part of the country. Protestantism, divided into several
denominations, is the third largest branch of the Christian religion in Poland.
The Augsburg Evangelical (Lutheran) Church accounts for over 85 thousand. The
next largest churches are the United Pentecostal Church (ca.17 thousand
members), and the Seventh Day Adventist Church (10 thousand members). The
remaining Protestant churches have up to 5-6 thousand members each. Poland also
has several Old Catholic churches (viz. not in communion with Rome). They
include the Old Catholic Church of the Mariavites, the Polish National Catholic
Church of Poland, and the Catholic Church of the Mariavites. Their combined
congregations amount to over 88 thousand people.
The Jehovah's Witness Religious Association has a membership of approx.
130 thousand. There are several other religious groups operating in Poland,
including the Muslim Religious Union (Islam), the Union of Jewish Religious
Communities (the Judaic religion), the Karaite Religious Board (a religion
which combines elements of Judaism and Islam, and is observed predominantly by
the Karaite ethnic minority of Turkic origin), and quite a number of
organisations related to Oriental religions, e.g. the International Krishna
Awareness Society and the Buddhist Society.
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The characteristic feature of Polish religious movements is a fondness
for traditional practices and Christian ceremonies such as pilgrimages to holy
places, liturgical processions (e.g. for the feast of Corpus Christi), Advent
and Lent retreats, and fairs for parish feast-days. Special significance is
attached to the cult of Virgin Mary, revered especially at Częstochowa (the
shrine of the Black Madonna of Jasna Góra), at Licheń (the shrine of Our Lady
the Sorrowful Queen of Poland), as well as in innumerable smaller shrines
dedicated to the Virgin Mary and scattered throughout the country.
Religion in Poland gained a new dimension in 1978 following the election
of Cardinal Karol Wojtyła, the Metropolitan Archbishop of Cracow, to the
papacy. The Polish Pope, who adopted the name of John Paul II, revolutionised
the Catholic Church, opening it up to the problems of the contemporary world.
Within Poland, the person of John Paul II is viewed in a special light, and his
activities are regarded as linked to the enormous socio-political changes of
the 1980's. John Paul II remains an unquestionable moral authority, not only
for the religious part of society.
The Catholic Church in Poland is an institution which has always been
associated with the concept of Polish statehood. The first important date in
the history of the Polish state was the adoption of Christianity by the
Polanian Prince Mieszko I in 966. The creation of state structures was
connected with the spread of Christianity and establishment of an
ecclesiastical administrative network in the Polish territories. Since that
time, the Church has supported Polish unity and independence, which proved
especially significant in partitioned Poland (1795-1918), during the Second
World War, and in the period under Communist domination.
The Constitution
The Constitution of the Republic of Poland is the supreme Polish legal
document and the basis of the political system of the Polish State.
It guarantees civil rights and freedoms, determines the relationships
between the legislative, executive and judiciary powers, decides about the structure
and method of appointing the highest state institutions such as the Sejm and
Senate (the lower and upper chamber of the Polish parliament), the President,
and the Council of Ministers (Cabinet); and it directly influences the
structure of the judiciary, territorial, and administrative bodies, and the
supervisory agencies which exercise control on behalf of the State. It also
regulates issues related to the organization of government and administration,
public finance, and extreme situations (states of emergency).
Poland is a pioneer of European constitutionalism. In 1791 the King and
Parliament of the Republic of Poland and Lithuania passed the first
constitution in the Old World, later called the 3rd of May Constitution.
The current Constitution of the Republic of Poland, passed by the
National Assembly (viz. the Sejm and Senate sitting in a joint session) on
April 2nd, 1997, was approved by the Nation in the Constitutional Referendum of
May 25th of the same year. It was signed by the President of Poland, Aleksander
Kwaśniewski, on July 16th, 1997, and came into effect as of October 17th, 1997.
Prior to that there was a Small Constitution in effect, which amended
the main articles of the Stalinist constitution of 1952 and formed the legal
basis of the Polish State between 1990 and 1997.
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The Constitution of the Republic of Poland guarantees respect for all
the civil rights - the personal, political, economic, social and cultural
rights and freedoms - regarded as standard for a democratic country.
The Constitution guarantees all Polish citizens and persons in Poland
equality in the eyes of the law (irrespectively of sex, race, religion,
profession, origin, or education), personal freedom and inviolability,
inviolability of the home, freedom of conscience and religion, the right to a
fair trial (with presumption of innocence until proved guilty), and legal
protection of life.
The Constitution also protects the right to the inviolability of
correspondence; the individual's freedom to express his/her views; his/her
freedom of speech, organisation and peaceful assembly; to contribute to the
public services; the individual citizen's right to vote and stand for election
to the government of the Republic; and to receive full information about the operations
of public authorities.
The Polish Constitution also protects the rights of ownership and
inheritance, freedom of choice of profession, the right to appropriate safety
conditions in the workplace; it guarantees minimum wages, protection of health
and social benefits, as well as the right to education (education is mandatory
until the age of 18). The Constitution also grants freedom of artistic
expression, scientific and scholarly research, freedom to teach, and to enjoy
cultural heritage.
The Constitution of the Republic of Poland affords special protection
for the welfare of families and the rights of children.
The Polish Constitution imposes certain obligations that Polish citizens
bear towards the state. The primary obligation is loyalty to the Republic and
concern for the common good.
All the organs of the Polish State are charged with the upholding of and
compliance with the Constitution. This is the special duty of the
Constitutional Tribunal, a court appointed to supervise the constitutionality of
laws. Every Polish citizen has the right to bring a complaint to the
Constitutional Tribunal against any breach of the Constitution.
POLITICAL PARTIES
The biggest
political parties in Poland are:
The Law and Justice Party (PiS)
The Citizens' Platform (PO)
The Democratic Left Alliance (SLD)
The Self-Defence Party (Samoobrona)
The League of Polish Families (LPR)
The Polish Peasants' Party (PSL)
The Citizens' Platform
(PO) was created in 2001 by Andrzej Olechowski,
Donald Tusk, and Maciej Płażyński (then Speaker of the Senate), former members
of the UD and AWS parties. The Citizens' Platform is a group which represents
the liberal electorate, private entrepreneurs and business circles, as well as
all who want a wholesome and robust state based on a free-market economy and
the principle of competition.
The Democratic Left
Alliance (SLD) was created in 1999 from several
social democratic groups deriving predominantly from the former Social
Democracy of the Republic of Poland. Some of its members are the former
supporters of the Polish United Workers' Party (the Communist Party), but the
SLD is a modern social-democratic party, combining concern for working people
with a responsible state financial policy.
The Law and Justice
Party (PiS) is a right-wing party which cherishes the
traditions of independence and derives from the Solidarity movement of the
1980s. PiS represents a right-wing electorate which favours a traditional social
order, a free-market economy, a strong and wholesome state, the principle of
law and order and a resolute fight against crime and corruption. PiS was
created in 2001.
The League of Polish
Families (LPR) is a party on the far right, with
nationally oriented views. LPR is one of the few organised political groups
which actively oppose Poland's accession to the European Union. The League
favours a high level of government intervention in the sphere of economics. At
the same time, the chief goals of this party are protection of traditional
values such as the family and pro-life policies, patriotism, religion, freedom,
and private property. The best-known LPR politicians are: Roman Giertych,
Zygmunt Wrzodak and Jan Maria Jackowski.
The Polish Peasants'
Party (PSL) is a modern rural-interest party; it sees
itself as a centre party. It has been a member of the government coalition with
the Democratic Left Alliance and the Labour Union. PSL represents the interests
of farmers and agricultural employees, residents of rural areas and country
towns. The PSL looks back to the political traditions of the large agrarian
communities in Poland before the Second World War and Stanisław Mikołajczyk's
PSL, which was the only independent political party tolerated in a brief spell
from 1945 to 1947.
The Self-Defence Party (Samoobrona) is a movement which has won the support of those who have been
disappointed by the socio-political and economic changes in Poland since 1989.
Self-Defence enjoys the sympathy of voters in rural and provincial areas, the
unemployed, former state farm workers and unskilled workers. Self-Defence is a
populist party, and its objectives are directed against the current social and
legal order. Members of the Self-Defence Party have built up a reputation for
vociferous public protest, including the disruption of parliamentary
proceedings.