Nearly half of Catholic priests in Poland have been victims of some form of aggression in the past 12 months, a recent survey discovered.
The Institute of Statistics of the Catholic Church (ISKK) surveyed 996 Polish priests and found that 49% say they have experienced verbal abuse, harassment online, or attacks on themselves or Church property in the past year. According to a survey report from the Observatory on Intolerance and Discrimination Against Christians in Europe, the study is the first of its kind.
However, 80% say they do not report the incidents to authorities for various reasons, with most saying they do not consider them to be serious enough. Others say they are reluctant to take formal action against the aggressors, and some do not trust authorities to take action.
The study found that priests in Poland experience verbal harassment more than any other form of aggression, with 41% reporting having been threatened, taunted, or called names. Thirty-three percent of priests said that the verbal aggression occurred online.
Physical attacks or property vandalism were less common, but 13% said they had experienced aggression toward churches or other places of worship, with 10% saying that parish property had been damaged. According to the report, some priests also said their religious services had been disrupted, while others said graves had been destroyed.
Priests were extremely likely to say that aggression against clergy has increased in the past 10 years, with 85% identifying a rise and 96% attributing it to negative coverage in the media. Ninety-one percent said rising political and social tensions are also key contributors. Priests also said that they feel less safe when wearing clerical attire in public, with only 57% saying they feel safe in public while wearing a cassock or Roman collar.
“These results suggest a deteriorating social climate for clergy in Poland, marked by hostility, impunity, and growing fear — especially among those visibly representing the Church,” the survey report stated. “The data call for a deeper reflection on how to effectively protect religious leaders and address the cultural and political roots of this trend.”
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Author: Hannah Hiester
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