WARSAW – The Vatican has elected its first American pope, Leo XIV, just as Poland, one of Europe's most devoutly Catholic countries, enters the final stages of a presidential race dominated by religion and tensions between church and state.
In a country where, according to the Eurobarometer 2024, around 90% of the population identifies as Catholic, and where one of the most popular figures at home and abroad is John Paul II, the death of Pope Francis on Easter Monday and the election of his successor – despite the absence of a Polish candidate – unfolded against the backdrop of a presidential campaign deeply permeated with religious themes.
The main contenders in the presidential elections scheduled for May 18 – Warsaw Mayor Rafal Trzaskowski of Donald Tusk’s Civic Platform (KO) party and independent candidate Karol Nawrocki, backed by the Law and Justice (PiS) party – hold sharply opposing views on the role of religion in public life.
Church in Schools: A Controversial Point
Religion in public schools has become one of the most controversial issues of the campaign.
Trzaskowski's Civic Platform called for a more secular state, including removing religion classes from school curricula and even ending the Concordat with the Vatican. PiS, by contrast, positions itself as the guardian of “Polishness,” equating national identity with Catholic tradition.
Earlier this year, Tusk's government announced plans to limit religious classes to one per week, scheduled outside of regular classes so as not to disrupt non-participating students. The announcement sparked a backlash from both Polish bishops and PiS.
Although participation has declined significantly over the past two decades, and although most schools still offer religious education, Nawrocki remains adamant about the importance of faith.
“Religious education is very important in schools for those who feel a connection with the Catholic Church. I will fight for it to remain part of the curriculum,” Nawrocki told Catholic broadcaster Telewizja Trwam, part of a media empire run by Redemptorist priest Tadeusz Rydzik, a staunch PiS ally.
PiS Priests: Rydzik and Jendraszewski
Rydzik's media outlets serve as a platform for PiS politicians to reach their conservative, often older, base.
Critics accuse PiS of funneling public funds to Rydzik's Lux Veritatis foundation for projects including museums, universities and religious television stations. Although Rydzik denies receiving public money, he continues to campaign for PiS and attack the opposition.
Another influential church figure loyal to PiS is Archbishop Marek Jędraszewski, until recently the Metropolitan of Krakow.
He once called LGBTQ+ people a “rainbow plague” and publicly prayed for PiS leader Jaroslaw Kaczynski and his late brother Lech, while calling the victims of the 2010 Smolensk plane crash “murdered” — echoing conspiracy theories about Tusk’s alleged involvement in the assassination, which Poland says was orchestrated by Russia.
Religion as a weapon in election campaigns
PiS also used faith to target its main rival in the race: Trzaskowski.
As mayor of Warsaw, he passed an equal treatment decree banning religious symbols in public institutions, but not in personal clothing or jewelry. PiS presented the move as part of a broader anti-religious agenda. Crosses remain common in Polish public institutions, including above the entrance to the Sejm, the lower house of the Polish parliament. Previous attempts to remove them have failed.
PiS leader Jarosław Kaczynski accused Trzaskowski's party and its EU political group, the European People's Party (EPP), of trying to eliminate religion from people's lives. “(His) European choice is exactly this – (he wants) to destroy religion, to destroy what people believe, that they are more than just homo sapiens, that they are people who have a soul, that they are people created in the image and likeness of God,” he said.
“Let's not go crazy. No one is going to fight against any religion in Warsaw. The capital will also always respect its traditions. (…) But Poland is a secular state, and Warsaw is the capital of this state,” Trzaskowski wrote in response to X.
PiS has previously attacked Trzaskowski for signing the Warsaw LGBT+ Charter. Trzaskowski, a practicing Catholic, has called the accusations against him unfounded. “I have great respect for tradition and for the Church,” he said in 2019, adding that as a Catholic, it was “deeply painful” for him to see numerous bishops “joining PiS propaganda.”
“Everyone knows that PiS is doing this (using religion) purely for political reasons – to sow fear and divide Poles again. (…) But I would expect the Catholic Church to stand up for all minorities, all those who are weaker and forgotten,” he insisted.
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