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Francis Effect: Now Poland Is Also Lost

The Polish Church suffers from a shortage of priests, Poznan Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki wrote in an April 25 pastoral letter. He expects a "significant decline" of the number of priests and the …More
The Polish Church suffers from a shortage of priests, Poznan Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki wrote in an April 25 pastoral letter. He expects a "significant decline" of the number of priests and the merging of smaller parishes.
Poznan Archdiocese has currently 635 priests in 414 parishes. Few years ago, a quarter of all European seminarians was Polish.
At the beginning of Benedict XVI's pontificate in 2005, a record number of 1,145 men entered the Polish seminaries. Last autumn, there were 441 new seminarians - a decline of over 60%.
Since 1989 - the year when Communism ended and Family Pope John Paul II triumphed - the fertility rate in Poland has been below replacement level. After Poland joined the EU in 2004 over two million young Poles abandoned the country leaving the elderly behind.
Picture: Stanisław Gądecki, © Mazur, CC BY-NC-ND, #newsSzdzwtbaup
V.R.S.
The Church in Poland has been suffering for a long time from guys like H.E. Gądecki.
De Profundis
Great title according to the Polish hymn, "Poland has not perished yet as long as we live."
Prayhard
Francis is likely happy.