On 28 August, Tomasz Terlikowski accused the Church authorities in Poland of having no thought for the future and repeating the same arguments in the dispute about spiritual lessons and wellness education. The criticism concerns the KEP message of 24 August. Parents' rights, formation of young people and credibility of the Church are at stake.
Terlikowski criticizes language without strategy
Tomasz Terlikowski in a text published by “Rzeczpospolita” assessed that further lists of authorities of the Polish Episcopal Conference do not show a real action plan. The publicist wrote about the deficiency of an thought for the future of the Church and the repetition of the same argument. A direct point of mention was the message by the Bureau of the Committee of the Regions "The young man deserves more", signed by Archbishop Tadeusz Wojęda, Archbishop Józef Kupiny and Bishop Mark Marczak.
The charge is painful due to the fact that it falls into weakness well known to many believers. Bishops print papers erstwhile MEN restricts the place of religion at school, but parents and catechestes besides request legal tools, good organization and a clear answer to what catechesis is to look like in a fewer years. The letter itself will not replace work in parishes, catechists and household attendance.
KEP defends the rights of parents and places of religion
However, you must not pretend that Bishops' dispute with MEN It's fake. W a message of 24 August The Bureau of the KEP indicated 4 circumstantial changes: placing religion before or after another activities, simplification to 1 hr a week, the anticipation to combine classes and the removal of the grade from the middle. According to bishops, this leads to marginalization of catechesis.
This argument has weight. The constitutional right of parents to rise children according to their own beliefs cannot depend on the world-view fashion of officials. The state should not push religion on the edge of the lesson plan and then present a decline in attendance as a spontaneous choice of students. Administrative handicaps have real consequences.
Health education and household question
As of September 1, 2026, wellness education is to be compulsory, with the sexual education module being optional. KEP recognises the request to teach about physical, intellectual and preventive health. The bishops argue the imagination of a man who weakens the peculiar function of matrimony of man and family. Earlier Statement by the Committee on the Education of Catholic KEP put the problem straight.
Family defence is not a "singing". It is simply a fundamental work of the Church and an crucial social issue in a country affected by the demographic crisis. The problem begins erstwhile the correct diagnosis does not lead to effective action. A parent who wants to learn about the curriculum, rise reservations or organize the teaching of religion should receive simple aid in his diocese and parish.
The simplification of the full consequence to the call for vigilance leaves families alone against the extended state machine. Legal teams, transparent parent material, manual control and systematic force on MEN are needed. That's why parental responsibility It's so crucial today.
The church must return to its basic work
Terlikowski rightly demands more than another paper from the church authorities. However, anyone who criticized the kind of action would be incorrect to conclude that the defence of catechesis, household and parents' rights should be abandoned. The content of the dispute remains fundamental. mediocre communication doesn't make it any little right.
The Polish Church now needs realism and work on the ground. The parish should be a place of strong catechesis, support for the household and surviving community, and the episcopate must be able to fight for freedom of education besides under law and administration. For Poland, this means defending cultural continuity and the right of parents to decide how their children grow up. Without strategy, even the best statements will become paper. Without rules, the strategy will become an empty end management.
