A "yes" with head held high ” “

The sixth of the ten candidate countries to go to the polls for its referendum on EU membership, Poland voted ‘yes’ to entry into the EU: 77.5% voted in favour. The voters formed 58.8% of the electorate; the opponents were 22.5%. SirEurope sounded out the views of the spokesman of the Polish Episcopal Conference, Father Adam Schulz, and the bishop of the diocese of Siedlce Msgr. Zbignew Kiernikowski on the result. Not a goal, but a stimulus. “The Polish Church welcomes the decision expressed by the population in the recent referendum as an important decision for the history of our country. The Bishops in particular are delighted that the majority of Poles chose to go to the ballot box, as they had been repeatedly urged to do, to be able to reach a decision that would take account of the real will of the people”: that’s how the spokesman of the Polish Episcopal Conference Father Adam Schulz, Jesuit, comments on the positive result of the referendum on Poland’s membership of the EU. “In the next few days, from Friday to Sunday, – continues the spokesman – the Bishops will meet in assembly to reflect on various questions, and one of these will undoubtedly be the result of the referendum which represents not a goal in itself but a stimulus to look to the future. For our country, membership of the European Union will mean first and foremost cooperating at the international level – not just at the economic and social, but also at the cultural, civil and religious level. From this latter point of view – he adds – we will have to promote activities of education and catechesis, but also enter into dialogue with all those, both inside and outside our own country, who come from other cultures and other religious outlooks”. Abstentions to be borne in mind. Also in the view of Bishop Zbignew Kiernikowski of the diocese of Siedlce, the result of the referendum represents a strong stimulus for the country: “For Poland, EU entry is both a challenge and an opportunity, because we shall be called to start a new type of relations, on the one hand with Western Europe, of whose Union we now form part, and on the other with the European countries that have still to enter it”. “For us pastors of the Polish Church – continues Msgr. Kiernikowski – the fact that a relatively high percentage of the population chose to abstain from voting in the referendum remains a far from negligible problem. It means that four citizens out of ten do not feel adequately represented and involved in the great political and administrative decisions of the country”. “That also means that something is not working, that there is something out of joint in our society, such as a lack of trust in the persons chosen to represent the electors”. Membership and Christian values. Membership of the EU also represents a challenge “as far as Christian values are concerned. We believers – the bishop emphasizes – do not expect the state or the international institutions to directly support Christian values. But the overall climate in which the family, non-matrimonial unions, divorce, abortion and other hotly debated ethical and bioethical questions of our time are discussed is also important. Our task will be to go forwards with our head held high and without fear, bringing the Christian view of life also within united Europe. We must entertain no illusions but are called to tackle this new challenge that could help to consolidate Christianity” in our continent. The questions to be discussed by the assembly of Polish bishops in the next few days also include the results of the recent pilgrimage to Rome to mark the 25th anniversary of the pontificate of John Paul II, corruption at the social and administrative level, ecclesial dialogue with the Ukraine, unemployment (20% of the workforce), the pastoral ministry to Polish expatriates (over 10 million!), and the relation between Church and mass media.