Roman Catholicism in Poland

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ever since Poland officially adopted Latin Christianity in 966, the Roman Catholic Church has played a very important religious, cultural, social and political role.

For centuries, Poland has been a predemonantly Roman Catholic country, and for most Poles identity is a unique combination of naitonal and relgious elief. During the era of foreign oppresion, the Catholic Church remained for the Poles the primary source of moral values and the last bulwark in the fight for independence and national survival. The establishment of communist power had little effect on religous practices and feelings od most Poles. The communist authorities did not manage to subjugate the Catholic Church, which preserved it autonomy, became the most powerful independent Polish national organization, and in the 1970's assumed the role as mediator between the regime and the rebellious population. The 1978 election Cardinal Karol Wojtyla as Pope John Paul II contributed greatly to the fall of communism in Poland and all over the world.

According to the office of Polish statistics, 34,609,000 persons, about 91 percent of the entire population of Poland, belonged to the Roman Catholic Church in 2000. Over 80 percent of them declare that they attend mass regularly. According to different sources, somewhere between 2 and 5 million people listen to and support an ultranationalist and conservative radio broadcasting known as Radio Maryja. The remaining 4 million non-Roman Catholic Poles profess no relgion or belong to over forty other denominations.

[edit] Hierarchy

Archdiocese Diocese

Latin names of dioceses in italics.

• Białystok, Bialostocensis (1)
  • Drohiczyn, Drohiczinensis (2)
  • Łomża, Lomzensis (3)
• Cracow, Cracoviensis (4)
  • Bielsko-Biała – Żywiec, Bielscensis-Zyviecensis (5)
  • Kielce, Kielcensis (6)
  • Tarnów, Tarnoviensis (7)
• Częstochowa, Czestochoviensis (8)
  • Radom, Radomensis (9)
  • Sosnowiec, Sosnoviensis (10)
• Gdańsk, Gedanensis (11)
  • Pelplin, Pelplinensis (12)
  • Toruń, Thoruniensis (13)
• Gniezno, Gnesnensis (14)
  • Bydgoszcz, Bydgostiensis (15)
  • Włocławek, Vladislaviensis (16)
• Katowice, Katovicensis (17)
  • Gliwice, Glivicensis (18)
  • Opole, Opoliensis (19)
• Łódź, Lodziensis (20)
  • Łowicz, Lovicensis (21)
• Lublin, Lublinensis (22)
  • Sandomierz, Sandomiriensis (23)
  • Siedlce, Siedlecensis (24)
• Poznań, Posnaniensis (25)
  • Kalisz, Calissiensis (26)
• Przemyśl, Premisliensis (27)
  • Rzeszów, Rzeszoviensis (28)
  • Zamość – Lubaczów, Zamosciensis-Lubaczoviensis (29)
• Szczecin – Kamień Pomorski, Sedinensis-Caminensis (30)
  • Koszalin – Kołobrzeg, Coslinensis-Colubreganus (31)
  • Zielona Góra – Gorzów Wielkopolski, Viridimontanensis-Gorzoviensis (32)
• Varmia (Olsztyn), Varmiensis (33)
  • Elbląg, Elbingensis (34)
  • Ełk, Liccanensis (35)
• Warsaw, Varsaviensis (36)
  • Płock, Plocensis (37)
  • Warsaw – Praga, Varsaviensis-Pragensis (38)
• Wrocław, Vratislaviensis (39)
  • Legnica, Legnicensis (40)
  • Świdnica, Suidniciensis (41)

Refernces: Frucht, Richard. Eastern Europe: An Introduction to the People, Lands, and Culture. Voume 1. ABD-CLIO inc. Santa Barbara, Ca.

[edit] See also

• Religious denominations in Poland
• Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church