Hundreds gathered at Castle Square in Warsaw on Wednesday to protest changes to religious classes in schools, with demonstrators warning that these new policies could phase out religion and ethics classes through what they call a “backdoor method.”
The protest, led by the Association of Lay Catechists, was organized in response to the Ministry of Education’s decision to reduce the number of religious education hours in Polish schools. The group is also urging President Andrzej Duda to refer the ministry’s ruling, issued by Minister Barbara Nowacka, to the Constitutional Tribunal for review.
The demonstration kicked off with a performance by religious class teachers, representing nearly 30,000 educators nationwide, the majority of whom are laypersons. The brief skit illustrated the influence of religious education on the development of other subjects like history, philosophy, geography, and literature.
Protesters held banners with slogans such as “Science and Religion,” “Stop discrimination against believers,” “Religion is the nation’s most vital treasure” and “We want God in school books.” The crowd also chanted demands like “Equal rights for religion” and “Stop discrimination, stop segregation.”
The new policy allows combining students from different classes for religion lessons if fewer than seven students sign up, and further cuts to the number of religion class hours are planned for next year. Protesters argue against both reductions and the potential relocation of religious education to parish centers, citing logistical challenges for families.
Participation in religious education has been declining steadily, with a roughly 8% drop in the last five years. Protesters fear that the current trend could lead to the complete removal of religious education from public schools.
