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Almost 90% of Poles are Roman Catholics. Although in cities many people do not regularly practise their religion, in general, Catholicism is important to Polish life: on Sundays, many churches are full to overflowing. The Catholic Church has been a powerful force since the introduction of Catholicism in 966. When Poland ceased to exist as a state, the Church helped to keep the Polish language and culture alive. In times of crisis, Polish people turn to the Church for comfort and inspiration. It has always provided refuge and leadership. While religious freedom is guaranteed in Poland, the Catholic Church is overwhelmingly present in society. Rural areas abound with wayside crosses and shrines to saints or the Virgin Mary. The Church runs radio and TV programs, hospitals, homes for the elderly and many educational institutions. Poland's many nuns and monks are highly active in social service, running schools and homes for orphans, single mothers, disabled persons, the elderly and the homeless. Over the centuries, a number of other faiths have thrived in Poland, including Protestantism, Uniatism, Judaism and Eastern Orthodox Christianity. The Orthodox Church formerly had a strong following in eastern Poland, though because of the country's altered borders after World War II, only a small number of adherents remain. The Church's buildings can be identified by their traditional onion-shaped domes. The Greek Catholic or Uniate Church followers are mostly Ukrainian minorities, and the area of Bialystok in northeastern Poland has a small Muslim population, descendants of Tartar settlers. Judaism, once strong in Poland, exists as a tiny minority since World War II. Jews from all over the world annually visit concentration camps in Poland to remember those who died. The most important shrine in Poland is Our Lady of Czestochowa in the monastery of Jasna Gora in southern Poland. Attracting pilgrims from throughout the world, the miracle-working Black Madonna is Poland's guardian and patron, symbolizing the historic defeat of Swedish invaders who had to retreat from the gates of the shrine. Each August 15th, over a million pilgrims make the annual trip to the site. |
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