Poland’s Hidden Religious Diversity

May 29, 2014
Posted by Sydney Sadowski

The 95 Percent

When asked what it means to be Polish, most people will agree that being Catholic is a defining characteristic. It seems that Poland has replaced France as the first daughter of the Church in the modern eye. But this seemingly universally accepted fact isn’t as straightforward as it appears.

The official Polish government website, Poland.gov.pl, confirms that 95 percent of Poles are Catholic, but this does not mean Roman Catholic. Three other churches in communion with Rome are included in this category. That 95 percent includes members of the Byzantine-Ukrainian, Neo-Uniate, Armenian, and Roman Catholic churches. According to official figures, only 65 percent of Poles are Roman Catholic.

A Modern Construct

The recent canonization of Pope John Paul II seemed to confirm the strong identification of Polish nationalism with the Catholic Church. Papal flags flew alongside Polish flags, as the canonization was closely followed by the three-day secular celebrations of May 1–3: May Day, Flag Day and Constitution Day. John Paul II continues to be celebrated for his participation in the undermining of the Communist regime as much as for simply being Polish, which tends to mask the fact that the Catholic Polish identity is a recent construct.

The Polish nation was officially recognized in 966 with the baptism of Mieszko I. It is a small imaginative step from there to conclude that, from that time on, Poland has been a Catholic country. In fact, Poland was never very seriously Catholic until the modern era.

http://www.krakowpost.com/article/8068