In view of the actions of the MEN and the deficiency of willingness to agree on the key issue for the education and education of Polish children and young people to value, we express our strong opposition – we read in the Communication of the Bureau of the Polish Episcopal Conference regarding changes introduced by the Ministry of National Education in the organisation of spiritual lessons in public schools.
Below we print the full text of the KEP Communication:
Communication from the Bureau of the Polish Episcopal Conference
against changes made by the Ministry of National Education
in the organisation of spiritual lessons in public schools
In fresh months, we have seen a wide-ranging process of changes introduced by the Ministry of National Education in organising spiritual lessons in public schools. This is the first time we have seen specified major changes since 1989. Both those that have been adopted since September 2024 as well as those announced for September 2025 are not only unequivocally contrary to the higher order of regulations, but above all are unjust and discriminatory to many students and teachers of religion. These changes besides agree on the rights of parents and guardians to rise children according to their own beliefs, as guaranteed by the Constitution of the Republic of Poland (Article 53).
In the opinion of a large part of parents and spiritual teachers, which was expressed, among others, by various forms of protests and petitions from educational backgrounds, the changes introduced since September 2024 by the Minister of Education concerning the non-counting of spiritual lessons into average grades and the combination of classes of children and young people of different educational ages into larger groups, and only in spiritual classes, are harmful from the educational point of view. Pupils should have access to a curriculum based on content adequate to their level of improvement and perception and cognitive abilities in a given age. Moreover, these changes deprive students of their motivation to participate and engage in spiritual lessons. It should besides be stressed here that these changes were implemented without the educational strategy required by the Act "agreements with the authorities of the Catholic Church and the Polish Autokephal Orthodox Church and another churches and spiritual unions" (Article 12(2)), as confirmed by the Constitutional Court in its judgement of 27 November 2024.
Similarly, there are further changes announced by the MEN. These include reducing the teaching of religion to 1 hr a week and ordering spiritual lessons before or after school. They are discriminatory due to the fact that they will importantly restrict the right to access spiritual lessons for students whose parents, or themselves, will want for it. The introduction of protective periods for spiritual teachers is besides not included. Implementation of these solutions will besides be illegal, as the required agreement with the church organization has not been reached. As a consequence, the changes made may lead to the complete elimination of spiritual teaching in Polish public schools.
The ecclesiastical discussion with the Government of Poland did not lead to an agreement. The compromise proposal of the church side, consisting in the introduction of the rule of compulsory teaching of religion or ethics due to the request for axiological formation of students, was rejected by the government side. Similarly, as regards the spread over respective years of gradual simplification of the teaching dimension of religion in secondary schools, while respecting the rights of workers of spiritual teachers. In view of specified actions of the MEN and the deficiency of will to agree on the key issue for education and raising Polish children and young people to values, we express firm opposition.
We remind you that teaching religion at school is considered a standard in the vast majority of European countries, it is besides 1 of the symbols of freedom change in Poland after 1989. The Church will so take further appropriate legal steps to halt the changes.
We encourage and ask parents and social organisations to engage in defending universal values and rights of believers, which should always be respected, regardless of the political context. To parents, educators, spiritual teachers, catechists, and all afraid about the full and harmonious improvement of children and youths, we give shepherdish blessings.
Communication to be read as part of parish announcements at the Celebration of the Holy parent of God, January 1, 2025.
BP KEP
Source: episkopat.pl
TG
