The Sejm voted to send a citizen-led bill on mandatory religious or ethics classes to committee for further review.
Sejm Votes on Religious Education Bill
The Sejm on Friday (26 September) considered a citizen-led bill titled “Yes to Religion and Ethics in Schools,” which proposes reintroducing two mandatory hours of religious or ethics education per week. The Left faction submitted a motion to reject the bill in its first reading, with 231 MPs voting against, 191 in favor, and 4 abstaining. The project was supported by MPs from PiS, the Confederation, the Polish People’s Party, and eight MPs from Poland 2050. MPs from the Civic Coalition, Poland 2050, and the Left opposed the motion. Ultimately, the MPs decided to refer the bill to committees for further work.
Citizen-Led Initiative on Religious Education
The bill was prepared by the Association of Lay Catechists, signed by 500,000 people. It proposes making two hours of religious or ethics education mandatory per week, which could only be reduced with the consent of the relevant bishop of the Catholic Church or other religious associations. Religious education would only be optional in schools for adults, applying to public, private, and non-public schools. The association also wants grades for religious or ethics education to appear on report cards and be included in the average grade.
Opposition to the Bill
Dorota Olko of the Left argued that religious education should not take place in school classrooms but in catechetical rooms, emphasizing that the freedom to practice religion in places of worship is a key democratic freedom. Adrian Witczak from the Civic Coalition stated that the bill would “limit freedom of conscience and religion” and pose a “threat to the neutrality of public schools.” Przemysław Czarnek from PiS countered that the bill would prevent young people from choosing either religion or ethics due to “Christianophobia.” Piotr Janowicz, president of the Association of Lay Catechists, emphasized that the bill “does not discriminate against any group or individual” and promotes mutual respect and coexistence from an early age.
