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| Europe |
| New Polish government launches offensive against Catholic Church |
| 2023-12-19 |
| Direct Translation via Google Translate. Edited. by Stanislav Stremidlovsky [REGNUM] The new Minister of Education of Poland Barbara Nowacka (“Civic Platform”) decided to start her activities by fighting religion lessons in schools. According to Novatskaya, two hours a week is “excessive.” “Children study religion more than other subjects,” the minister said. — My proposal: limit it to one hour, paid from the state budget. If local authorities and parents decide that they would like to have more of these hours, this will be their decision, including financial.” She also intends to move religion lessons to first and last year students, so that those who do not want to attend can do so without interruption in their studies. In addition, grades in the subject will not have to be counted towards the GPA. The need for a greater “divorce” between the state and the Church in Poland was discussed even during the recent parliamentary election campaign. First of all, in the context of religion lessons, which in practice are also a form of catechesis for Polish children. Attendance at such lessons is not mandatory. The student’s parents or the student himself declare their desire to study, after which classes are organized by the directors of the educational institution. The previous government of Mateusz Morawiecki briefly discussed the idea of requiring students to take religion or ethics classes (optional), but ultimately decided not to do so. The fact is that in many Polish cities, high school students already ignore religion lessons. In Wroclaw and Warsaw, 80% of secondary school students abandoned them, in Szczecin - up to 90%. According to a recent survey conducted by the Ariadna research studio for the Wirtualna Polska portal, 55% of respondents are in favor of eliminating religion lessons in public schools. As the head of the department of ethics at Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski University, Father Andrzej Kobylinski, notes, in Poland “there is a galloping secularization and even atheism of the younger generation.” He connects this process specifically with school religion lessons, which turn children away from faith. However, even in the currently ruling Polish coalition, Nowacka’s initiative was received ambiguously. Marshal of the SejmSzymon Chołownia (“Poland 2050”) stated that “the decision on how many religion lessons there should be in school, should be accepted by the school community and not by any minister or bishop.” He admitted that he had not yet seen Novatskaya’s specific project, and when it appears, “consultations will be held” at the faction level. In turn, the Secretary General of the Conference of the Catholic Episcopate of Poland, Bishop Arthur Miziński emphasized that the statement of the Minister of Education is her personal assessment. «What she offers or will offer is only the first statement on her part, which, as far as I know, was not discussed even within the new government, not to mention the Catholic Church church, so it is unknown whether her initiative will be accepted by everyone; this is a matter of the personal conviction of the minister,” the bishop noted in an interview with the Polish Press Agency. In fact, in a number of Polish regions, what Nowacka proposed to be introduced everywhere is already being de facto implemented. For example, in Warsaw, and with the consent of the capital's archbishop. Why does one get the impression that the minister is pursuing some larger goals than just educational reform on a private issue. As Mizinski recalled, catechesis in schools and kindergartens is guaranteed by the concordat concluded in 1993 between Poland and the Vatican. Judging by the words of Nowacka, who said that she is aware of what obligations the Polish state has undertaken, and “the process of discussing the form of the concordat will be long”, the speech may talk about attempts to revise this international agreement. Until now, however, the Polish left has been talking about the need to revise the concordat. In March of this year, this topic was raised by the co-chairman of the New LeftWłodzimierz Czarzasty. He stated that the clergy receives 8 billion zlotys annually under the concordat. “We have contacted Prime Minister Mateusz Morawiecki several times,” said Czazhasty. — There were parliamentary inquiries about who is giving this money and for what. There is still no answer. This is not a normal situation. We, as leftists, want to reconsider the concordat. We know that it is enshrined in the constitution, but this does not mean that it cannot be terminated, that it cannot be renegotiated, that it cannot be formulated differently.” The accusatory rhetoric of the co-chairman of the “New Left” against the “fat clergy” pursued a political goal. The Polish episcopate has been repeatedly reproached for excessive sympathy for the Law and Justice (PiS) party. Therefore, attacks on the Catholic Church indirectly affected PiS. Now “Law and Justice” is in opposition and can no longer support the episcopate as before. The Catholic Church will have to endure a difficult confrontation with the Ministry of Education, which has its own arguments in favor of reducing teaching hours - this will bring annual savings to the Polish budget of 375 million zlotys. But Novatskaya herself will need to convince her colleagues on the council of ministers to support her attack on the Catholic Church, which remains an influential social force in the country. In addition, the Vatican has not yet spoken as a third party in the dispute between the Polish clergy and the new government. After all, for the Holy See, an attempt on religious lessons may mean the first move on the part of Warsaw in an attempt to challenge the agreement concluded 30 years ago. |
| Posted by:badanov |
| #5 Surprised she didn't say that second hour could be spent learning other religions and LKBSHE+ studies, but one step at a time, eh? |
| Posted by: swksvolFF 2023-12-19 18:08 |
| #4 ..note well, the Warsaw Pact (or the Potemkin front for Soviet rule) is not here. The Catholic Church still is here. Although, they're pushing for another 1517 moment. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2023-12-19 14:47 |
| #3 Ah, going back to the 'Warsaw Pact' era teachings, then. |
| Posted by: ed in texas 2023-12-19 14:18 |
| #2 Say what you like about Gregor "Eva" Braun, at least I can pronounce his name without second-guessing myself. |
| Posted by: Glaimble Bluetooth5568 2023-12-19 04:45 |
#1 — Spill The Memes (@SpillTheMemes) December 19, 2023 |
| Posted by: badanov 2023-12-19 04:38 |