Pope John Paul II

Religion in Poland

Religion in Poland has quite a significant place in public life. The most influential religion in the country is Roman Catholicism, whose adherents, according to various estimates are from 70 to 95 percent of the population. Poland has also other religions, various sects and movements. Despite of the Catholicism, here you can meet and Orthodox Christians, Jews and representatives of other religions.

The main Catholic holidays in Poland are Christmas and Easter. Also are celebrated All Saints Day, New Year, Three Kings, Ash Wednesday, the Great Week, Ascension Day, the Day of Our Lady Queen of Poland, the Feast of Corpus Christi and the Feast of Our Lady.

Since the Catholicism is an integral part of the lives of many Poles, in Poland there are also appropriate ceremonies and events in human life, through which he must pass.
The very first ritual is the baptism, which takes place shortly after the birth and is held in a type of the washing in a holy water.
Next goes the first confession, which is held before the first Holy Communion. First Holy Communion is adopted in the form of bread, which permits a child to become a full-fledged Catholic, but also commits to observe all the commandments and attend church on Sundays.
The exam on the knowledge of the religion is also important. It should not be confused with the subject «Religion», studied in school. Only after passing this exam, young people can get married. Wedding ceremony, in contrast to other countries is more important than the registration in the registry office.
Also are performed last rites - the pray of the dying.

An integral part of Catholic life is visiting the church, prayer and confession.
This means that Polish Catholics are obliged to attend church on Sundays and religious holidays, to pray at least twice a day, and also confess at least once a year.

It is impossible if speaking about the religion in Poland not to mention the great Polish Pope John Paul II. His name was Karol Jozef Wojtyla, he was born on May 18 in 1920 in Poland in the town of Wadowice. His parents were a tailor, and later non-commissioned officer, and a daughter of a saddler. In 1978, Karol Wojtyla was elected as Pope John Paul II. He died in 2005. The duration of his pontificate, is second only to the Pope Pius the Ninth. During his reign pontiff has actively promoted the peaceful resolution of conflicts, participated in inter-religion relations, and also wrote many philosophical and theological works. Also in Poland at that time all services started to be conducted in Polish, but not in Latin, which wasn’t understood by anybody.