Despite Poland being over 90 percent Catholic, a survey published on Thursday suggested that approximately 41 percent of Poles view the Church favorably. This is a decrease of 8 percent from September, according to The Straits Times Europe and a survey by the CBOS institute, quoted by the Polish news agency PAP.

Meanwhile, 47 percent of the 1,010 adults surveyed earlier this month said they disapproved of the Church, up from 41 percent in September.

The survey echoes the results of a poll by another group last month when 40.4 percent of respondents said they trusted the Church, a decrease from 58 percent four years ago. Similarly, 42.4 percent of Poles said they distrusted the Church.

The Church’s reputation in Poland has been impacted by scandals, such as that of Polish Bishop Edward Janiak who resigned in October over suspicions he covered up sexual abuse of children.

Adding to the nation’s woes, a ruling by the Constitutional Court that abortions owing to birth defects were unconstitutional sparked nationwide demonstrations. The protesters turned their anger on the Church as well as the government.

The Straits Times reported that since the scandal and demonstrations, increasing numbers of Poles have been formally leaving the Church and opting out of Church lessons in public school.

 

Image credit: By Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

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