Poland

Being for Europe, being for life In Poland we say: “If you’re European, you have to be pro-life”, remarked the national coordinator of the “One of Us” campaign Jakub Baltroszewicz. Poland is the first country that reached the minimum required threshold of 38.250 signatures supporting the introduction of a ban on the destruction of human embryos. Baltroszewicz, who is also a member of the initiative’s proposing Committee, noted that signatures are already close to 50 thousand, and are likely to increase further by next November, the deadline for their submission to the EU Commission. The initiative “One of Us”, promoted in Poland also by the Knights of Columbus, is all the more significant considering that Poland ranks at the 212th place among 224 countries in the birth-rate index. On several occasions the Polish episcopate called upon the country’s institutions to adopt policies in support of the family, but such appeals aren’t very effective when compared with “more sensationalistic” and lengthy debates on the legalization of de facto unions or national health financing of medically assisted insemination with in vitro techniques. Statistics on the yearning for motherhood of Polish women are dramatic: 15% of Polish women aged 18-45 said they don’t want to have children. In most cases the economic situation is the major obstacle along with the difficulties of reconciling the parental role with professional activity. The truthfulness of these statements is proved by the fact that a third of all women aged 18-45 gave up their jobs after having had a child. One every ten women were fired upon their return to work after their maternity leave. The third reason that seems to prevent the fulfillment of the desire of maternity is the lack of a steady partner (regardless of the temperament of the couple). In their appeals for the family Polish bishops underlined that given the ongoing cultural and ideological crisis the family instead of being defended is often the target of attacks aimed at its “redefinition as a union of two people”, which leads to the weakening of traditional bonds, various pathologies, ever increasing divorces and lack of openness of the couple on the gift of life. The Year of Faith in the name of Adalberto “In this year of faith may Saint Adalbert, patron saint of the Polish and Czech people, become also the patron saint of all Central Europe”, said cardinal Dominik Duka, primate of the Czech Church, during the celebrations (April 27-28) in memory of Saint Adalbert, killed by the pagans in the year 997 on the territory of contemporary Pomerania. That very part of the European continent, continued the prelate indicating the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Poland and Hungary, witnessed the missionary commitment of Saint Adalbert. Also the Primate of Poland, Monsignor Jozef Kowalczyk, archbishop of Gniezo, the first capital of Christian Poland, in his welcoming remarks to all those attending the ceremony – amongst whom figured the Apostolic nuncio in Warsaw Monsignor Celestino Migliore, over 40 Polish prelates and Church dignitaries from Germany, Romania, and the Czech Republic – underlined the bond linking the celebrations in honor of the martyr saint to the Year of Faith. The bishop of Kalisz, monsignor Edward Janiak celebrating past Saturday the solemn vespers on the eve of the Feast of Saint Adalbert, recalled that instead of loosing energies in the fight on evil in the world, it is necessary to reflect on how to realize the new evangelization that “occurs when the world, looking at the Church, sees a community of men and women that love one another”. During the course of the solemn liturgy celebrated the morning of Sunday April 28, Monsignor Wiktor Skworc, archbishop of Katowice, observed that 40% of Poles usually don’t take part in the Sunday liturgy. He highlighted the importance of Sunday, whose specific festive feature (not always respected) should be ensured by laws regulating working relations. The prelate underlined the need for the respect of the hierarchy of values. “Persons come before work, and work comes before capital”, said Monsignor Skworc, who stressed the delays in parliamentary works on legislative measures for the protection of the human embryo. “Even though the Tribunal in Strasbourg two years ago acknowledged equal dignity to the human embryo as the human person” Polish MPs strive to legislate on this subject, thus “enabling abuses and the destruction of life already conceived”.