Polish bishops are telling Catholics to stay Catholic. The bishops advice – delivered in a recent pastoral letter – was made both to mark Poland’s centenary of independence and to warn the nation’s Catholics that freedom could be lost again if Poles abandon their Catholic faith. They explained independence is not just about “armed struggle, Read more
A new movie depicting corrupt priests has outraged some conservative politicians in Poland. “Kler” (“Clergy”) revolves around the lives of three fictional Catholic priests who swill vodka and mock the church. One of them sexually abuses a blind orphan boy. Read more
The Nazis stole thousands of artworks from museums and castles in Poland during World War II. Many have been lost forever. But some of the looted pieces are now being repatriated. One of these has been returned by Ulrich Gauer, whose grandfather was with the occupying German army in Poland during the second world war. Read more
The first-ever lay nurse to be beatified is a model of how to give of oneself for the good of others. Fr Pawel Galuszka has been involved with Hanna Chrzanowska’s canonisation cause. He said the Polish nurse “teaches us how important it is to make a sincere gift of oneself, even sacrifice, for the good Read more
Jewish leaders have joined Catholic bishops in Poland to urge Catholics and Jews to rebuild dialogue and fight prejudice. The Polish Bishops’ Conference describes anti-Jewish rhetoric in Poland as being “contradictory to the principles of Christian love of one’s neighbour.” A group of Polish rabbis responded, saying they “deeply appreciate” their condemnation of anti-Semitism. They Read more
Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk wants Pope St John Paul II to be the patron the Polish-Ukrainian reconciliation. Shevchuk, who is the head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church says “Ukrainians do not know Poles, their pains, aspirations, ambitions, as well as Poles do not know Ukrainians. “That is why an exchange and a dialogue is essential. Read more
Condemnation from around the world over a new law on criminalising those who implicate Poland in responsibility for Holocaust crimes has drawn a strong response from a Polish archbishop. Archbishop Waclaw Depo of Czestochowa says the new law’s critics are trying to “alter historical truth”. The law imposes fines or up to three years’ jail Read more
Poland’s prime minister, Mateusz Morawiecki, has called on the European Union (EU) to return to its “proper values” and traditional Christian roots. Morawiecki, who was sworn in as prime minister on Tuesday, says his dream is to “re-Christianise the EU. “We want to change Europe. “My dream is to make it Christian again, since unfortunately, Read more
About 60,000 fascists and white supremacists marched in Warsaw on Saturday, which was Poland’s Independence Day. Although many protesters were young men, families and older people also took part in the rally. They included “neo-pagans” and Catholic groups. Others included extremists from Sweden, Hungary, Slovakia and far-right leaders like Tommy Robinson from Britain and Roberto Read more
A French court ruling over removing the cross above a statue of St Pope John Paul II has sparked a diplomatic row between Poland and France. The Council of State, which is France’s top administrative court, says the cross violates a law passed in 1905. The law bans any “religious sign or emblem” on a Read more