Poland

Poland is a postcommunist country in eastern-central Europe (population 38.2 million in 2002) and has been a member state of the European Union since 2004. It is well known as a strongly Catholic country and together with Ireland forms the “Catholic Fortress” in a mostly unchurched Europe. According to the latest accessible data on church membership from 2005 (based mainly on the number of baptisms), 89% of Poles were Catholics, 1.3% belonged to the Orthodox Church, and less than 1% were Protestant (one half of the latter being members of traditional Protestant denominations and the other half, Jehovah's Witnesses). The number of Poles who declare themselves as nonreligious is well under 10% and is certainly one of the lowest in Europe.

Catholicism is deeply rooted in modern Polish history. In the late 18th century, Poland was divided between neighboring Prussia (Germany), Russia, and Austria. The country thus effectively ceased to exist and was reestablished only in 1918, after World War I. During that period, Catholicism was the main source of national identity as the invaders were Protestant (Germans) and Orthodox (Russians). A similar situation arose again in the 20th century in the face of the atheist Russian communists; so successive Polish governments usually had to maintain a gentler stance on religion than other communist rulers. The Catholic identity of Poles was greatly strengthened by the 1978 election of Karol Wojtyla (1920–2005) as Pope John [Page 1001]Paul II, the first non-Italian pope since 1523. The Polish pope highlighted the Church's anticommunist position, supported the Solidarity movement, and is believed to have greatly contributed to the fall of communism in Eastern Europe.

The Catholic Church entered the free, postcommunist era with enormous social credit, but its influence was subsequently challenged as democratic parliaments began passing many pro-Church bills that were not received favorably by the population (including many Catholics); the most obvious example of this is the strong antiabortion law that was introduced. According to a 1999 poll, 53% of Poles felt that the Church's political influence had grown too large. The ultra-Catholic Radio Maryja was established in 1991, dividing society over the issues of abortion, tolerance of homosexuality, and attitudes toward Jews. It initially broadcast with the Catholic Church's approval but later lost much of that support. Another controversy occurred during the European Union (EU) accession process, when a portion of the clergy adopted a strong anti-European position, fearing the effects of secularization on Poland as a member of the liberal EU.

The position of the Catholic Church in Polish society has nonetheless remained strong, and Poland is even a major “exporter” of Catholic priests to other parts of Europe.