Post by Dominic on Oct 18, 2023 22:08:41 GMT
Just got back from a little vacation in NJ where I got together with my friends from Poland who voted in the Polish election. The incumbent far right Law and Justice party was voted out of power. This party was heavily backed by the Polish Church, and, as the Church hierarchy went way out of their way to burn bridges with the victorious parties, they now find themselves without any say whatsoever in national affairs.
This is the end of the line for Poland as a “Catholic country”, as there is now a massive wave of disaffiliation taking place, especially among young people, women, urban residents, high earners, and the well-educated. Even priests are resigning in droves. Young people and women turned out in far greater than expected numbers and swung the election.
The day after the election was the 45th anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s election, and the celebrations were somber due to the election loss. Earlier this year, questions about his handling of child abusers when he was Archbishop of Krakow also diminished his reputation. In any case, any boost the Church and its favored political party would have gotten from Pope John Paul II has essentially evaporated in the eighteen years since his death. The Polish hierarchy squandered a full tank of gas on a reckless, power-drunken joy ride.
Poland now joins the company of Spain and Ireland, leaving no strong Catholic outposts in Europe. Demographic replacement will ensure that whatever Catholic presence that remains in Poland will wither away over the next decade or two.
It’s sad to see that the Church in Poland did everything in its power to destroy itself. Especially considering that, when Communism fell 34 years ago, the Polish Church was in an enviable position. As a Catholic who has lived in Poland and has strong ties to the country, I am relieved, though, that that version of the Church is rapidly dying. The parasite had consumed its host, leaving a dead, withered husk.
Perhaps, in several generations, the antipathy that the Church has earned for itself will be forgotten, and a new Church can arise from the cold ashes. Decades of detoxification are needed before that can happen, though. The ties between the Church and the far right/alt-right are way too strong, and will not be soon broken, forgotten or forgiven. There is no progressive or centrist wing of the Church left in the country that can take up the reins, and distrust runs very, very deep. Until then, Poland is scorched, radioactive earth for the Church. Much like Quebec after the Quiet Revolution, which, 64 years afterward, has not yet recovered.
My prayers are with Pope Francis as he works to rid the church of the reactionary politics that are killing it. God grant him many years, and a string of successors able and willing to build upon the foundation he has laid on the smouldering ruins.
This is the end of the line for Poland as a “Catholic country”, as there is now a massive wave of disaffiliation taking place, especially among young people, women, urban residents, high earners, and the well-educated. Even priests are resigning in droves. Young people and women turned out in far greater than expected numbers and swung the election.
The day after the election was the 45th anniversary of Pope John Paul II’s election, and the celebrations were somber due to the election loss. Earlier this year, questions about his handling of child abusers when he was Archbishop of Krakow also diminished his reputation. In any case, any boost the Church and its favored political party would have gotten from Pope John Paul II has essentially evaporated in the eighteen years since his death. The Polish hierarchy squandered a full tank of gas on a reckless, power-drunken joy ride.
Poland now joins the company of Spain and Ireland, leaving no strong Catholic outposts in Europe. Demographic replacement will ensure that whatever Catholic presence that remains in Poland will wither away over the next decade or two.
It’s sad to see that the Church in Poland did everything in its power to destroy itself. Especially considering that, when Communism fell 34 years ago, the Polish Church was in an enviable position. As a Catholic who has lived in Poland and has strong ties to the country, I am relieved, though, that that version of the Church is rapidly dying. The parasite had consumed its host, leaving a dead, withered husk.
Perhaps, in several generations, the antipathy that the Church has earned for itself will be forgotten, and a new Church can arise from the cold ashes. Decades of detoxification are needed before that can happen, though. The ties between the Church and the far right/alt-right are way too strong, and will not be soon broken, forgotten or forgiven. There is no progressive or centrist wing of the Church left in the country that can take up the reins, and distrust runs very, very deep. Until then, Poland is scorched, radioactive earth for the Church. Much like Quebec after the Quiet Revolution, which, 64 years afterward, has not yet recovered.
My prayers are with Pope Francis as he works to rid the church of the reactionary politics that are killing it. God grant him many years, and a string of successors able and willing to build upon the foundation he has laid on the smouldering ruins.