Without decisive action on the abuse crisis and a shift away from political and financial entanglements, the Polish Catholic Church risks further alienating a once-devout nation.
Newsroom (22/09/2025, Gaudium Press )Trust in the Catholic Church in Poland has plummeted to a historic low, with only 35.1% of Poles expressing confidence in the institution, according to a recent poll by the Polish Institute for Market and Social Research Foundation (IBRiS). Conducted for the Polish Press Agency on Sept. 18, 2025, the survey reveals a stark decline from 58% in September 2016, marking a drop of over 22% in less than a decade. Meanwhile, distrust has nearly doubled, soaring from 24.2% to 47.1% over the same period.
The sharpest shift occurred within the past year alone. Between October 2024 and September 2025, trust in the Church fell by 4%, while the percentage of those who “strongly distrust” the institution surged by 4.8%. Commentators attribute this erosion to a combination of the Church’s entanglement in politics, financial controversies, and its handling of the clergy abuse crisis.
Bishop Artur Ważny of Sosnowiec, the only bishop to publicly address the poll, expressed contrition on X, quoting the Book of Ezekiel: “Woe to the shepherds of Israel who have been pasturing themselves! Should not shepherds pasture the flock?” Ważny, who established an independent commission to investigate abuse in his diocese, reflected on the findings, stating he “sought to understand” them through prayer. His remarks likely point to the unmet expectations of Polish Catholics, particularly regarding the abuse crisis that has rocked the Church since it surfaced prominently five years ago.
Reforms Amid Crisis
Since the abuse scandal emerged, the Polish Church has implemented reforms, including the establishment of the St. Joseph Foundation in 2019 to fund therapy and support for survivors. The Office of Delegate of Child Protection, led by Archbishop Wojciech Polak of Gniezno, was also created to address safeguarding. However, the Church has yet to produce a national report on the scope of abuse, a task assigned to a long-delayed independent commission first announced in March 2023 but still unformed.
In a controversial move, Archbishop Polak, a vocal advocate for survivors, was removed in June 2025 from his role leading the team preparing the commission. The bishops, in an unscheduled vote, replaced him with Bishop Sławomir Oder of Gliwice, a decision that stunned abuse survivors and advocates.
The “3 P’s”: Politics, Pedophilia, and Money
Tomasz Krzyżak, editor of Rzeczpospolita, placed the blame squarely on the bishops in a Sept. 18 editorial. “No more distorting reality. The Church is an authority only for a handful of Poles,” he wrote, noting that trust in the institution once stood at over 90% following the fall of communism in 1989. Krzyżak argued that bishops have “squandered” this trust through excessive engagement in politics, preoccupation with financial grants from successive governments, and failure to adequately address abuse scandals. “It all boils down to the 3 P’s: polityka, pedofilia, pieniądze,” he said, referring to politics, pedophilia, and money.
Robert Fidura, a clergy abuse survivor and advocate, added a fourth factor: communication. “The complete lack of communication skills” among bishops and Church spokespersons results in “pompous, church-like language” that alienates laypeople, he told OSV News. Fidura also pointed to the post-2005 era, following the death of St. John Paul II, as a “black hole” for the Polish Church. “The pontificate of St. John Paul II was an act of God for the bishops,” he said. “When he was gone, a void emerged, no ideas, no strategy.”
A Blow to Safeguarding Efforts
The crisis deepened with the Sept. 18 announcement by Marta Titaniec, president of the St. Joseph Foundation and the only laywoman in a leadership role within Poland’s national Church structures, that she would not seek a third term. Titaniec, who has led the foundation since its inception, expressed gratitude to survivors for their trust but noted a lack of support from some bishops. “Although established by the bishops,” she said, the foundation was “sometimes treated by some as an alien, external institution.”
For Fidura, Titaniec’s departure signals a broader retreat from addressing abuse. “This is not solely getting rid of the only layperson left in charge of safeguarding structures,” he told OSV News. “It effectively extinguishes everything related to fighting abuse.” He expressed skepticism about the independent commission’s future and criticized the bishops for undermining Titaniec’s survivor-centered vision for the foundation.
A Call for Shepherds
Krzyżak invoked Pope Francis’ metaphor of a good shepherd who “must smell the scent of his sheep.” He argued that many Polish bishops fail to engage with their flock, a disconnect reflected in the IBRiS poll’s findings. As trust in the Church continues to erode, the institution faces a critical juncture. Without decisive action on the abuse crisis and a shift away from political and financial entanglements, the Polish Catholic Church risks further alienating a once-devout nation.
- Raju Hasmukh with files from OSV News
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