The Polish Bishops’ Conference issued a strong statement opposing new education regulations introduced by the Polish Ministry of Education, which they allege violate constitutional principles.
The new regulations, signed by Polish Minister of Education Barbara Nowacka on January 17, concerns the organization of religion classes in public schools and kindergartens. According to the amendment, starting from September 1, 2025, religion or ethics classes will be reduced to one hour per week and scheduled either directly before or after students’ compulsory educational classes, as reported by RMF24.
“Reducing religion classes to one hour per week and scheduling them before or after mandatory subjects limits the rights of believing parents and students,” the Conference stated, according to Polsat News.
The Bishops’ Conference declared the new regulation “an unlawful act,” arguing that it lacks “the required statutory agreement with the Catholic Church and other interested religious associations.” They emphasized that the action violates Article 7 of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland, which stipulates that “public authorities act on the basis of and within the limits of the law.”
Father Leszek Gęsiak SJ, spokesman for the Polish Bishops’ Conference, voiced disappointment over the Ministry’s approach. “We have always been open to dialogue; we have always asked for conversations. These conversations took place, but unfortunately our arguments, which were presented in various configurations, including compromise versions, were completely rejected,” he said, according to Polsat News.
The Conference highlighted that the introduced changes also impact the constitutionally guaranteed employment rights of religion teachers. Many educators may face job losses due to the reduction in teaching hours. “We will take further legal steps, depending on how the situation develops. Our lawyers are currently analyzing the matter,” Father Gęsiak stated.
Bishop Wojciech Osial, chairman of the Education Commission of the Polish Bishops’ Conference, emphasized the need to consider the rights of parents, students, and teachers. “We proposed that students resigning from religion classes at the same time have ethics classes,” he told Niezalezna. “We proposed that it be a subject completely independent of the Church, whose curriculum would be prepared by the Ministry of Education. It would also prepare the teaching staff.”
The Church had submitted a compromise proposal involving the reduction of religious education in secondary schools while introducing the principle of mandatory teaching of religion or ethics. This proposal was contingent on spreading the changes over several years and respecting the employment rights of religion teachers, according to RMF24.
In their statement, the Presidium of the Polish Bishops’ Conference expressed expectations for the Ministry to reconsider its stance.
“Ethics is very necessary in the development of a young person,” Bishop Osial stated, according to Niezalezna.
The article was written with the assistance of a news analysis system.
This article was originally published at www.jpost.com
