BellaOnline Forums Travel and Culture Polish Culture Catholic religion in Poland

Jag)I was basically in the southeastern section of Poland. However i don't agree that the Catholic church is the same around the world. The Church is a very big tent that acknowledges different catholic customs. As for Izcuchet's comments that the church in the USA is shallow, i couldn't disagree more. I think the American Church has developed the faith in a more mature manner and is admired for its catholic hospitals, catholic schools and its development of Vatican 2 and its inclusion of lay people than the vast majority of other Catholic nations with a sizable Catholic population have not. Having grown up Polish Catholic, the Polish Church reminded me of the old fashion Church i grew up with, which i think millions of Catholic of decades ago is desperatly trying to forget. My sister inlaw for instance ( from Poland ) was constantly being beaten by her husband. Her village priest only recomenended that she prays for her marriage. No divorce, no annulment ( he barely heard of it ). I can't imagine a priest in this ( shallow Catholic country?) giving her this kind of advice. I guess thats what i mean by OLD fashioned.

Masongeneral,

Because of this kind of Catholicism my mother became secular, secular with links to the Roman catholic church. In Poland the power of the church hierarchy
and priests in bigger than in other countries with huge catholic minorities, like in the USA, the Netherlands or Germany. The polish church has more influence in familylife, in the social-cultural field and in Politics.
In the way the churchleaders speak and the priest preaches and talk to their parishioners.
But I personally think and feel that the church, its clegrymen and members are doing more good than evil in the world. In the Netherlands the church takes care of poor parishoners, homeless people, the ill and elderly.
They look after those nobody else is "interested" in in this selfish, hedonist, decadent, commercial, materialised Western world without solidarity and compassion.

THere is definitively some truth in what you write about but you need to remember that in Poland there is still quite a difference between the life in the villages and in the towns. The village priest is the highest authority and sometimes... he is just simply spoiled by the parishioners, on the other hand the church tries to prevent it by rotating the priests often.

The American catholic church is becoming... too protestant for me, although some habits from protestant churches are worth to copy.

I will post my last article, which I sent to the Polish-American Journal about Polish catholics in the separate threat. See, in which points you can agree or disagree with me

Masongeneral, Cybulski, Jaga and Lily, thanks for your interesting conversation, which is interesting for someone from a secularised society and country.

Jaga, exactly this I recognise from my Polish-American cousin who is American Catholic,
but looks like an Evangelical, biblical christian.
This is not the European Catholicism which I know from the Netherlands, Belgium and Poland, with the
Catholic lithurgy, sacraments, atmosphere and mentality. I love and respect her ofcourse, but like you Jaga, this Presbyterian-Catholicism is strange to me, because I grew up Catholic.
In the Netherlands I prefer the conservative (or Orthodox) Catholic vetrsion above the "Beat-mass"
(political correct)progressive one, because in the first one I see the oldfashionate rituals and the warmth of the faith (you laso experiance more in Poland than in Holland). Belgium lies inbetween Poland and the Netherlands. The cultural presence of Catholicism is evident, but faith less visible expressed as in Poland.

Pieter