e, notably announcing that from a “moral point of view, in vitro fertilization cannot be accepted, as it turns man into a product of human activity, and is subjected to technical, not ethical rationality”.
Elaborating on such ideas, Archbishop Józef Michalik declared that “before our eyes the promotion of a new gender ideology is taking place. Some universities in Poland have introduced lectures on this new and vague ideology. These universities’ boards consist of the most aggressive Polish feminists, who for years now have been sneering at the Church and at traditional ethics, promoting abortion and fighting the traditional family model”. Taken to the District Court in Przemyśl, the action against the Archbishop brought in by feminist activist Małgorzata Marenin was dismissed, as the Court opined that no personal interests had been infringed upon.
Episodes such as the above clearly show that in spite of many provisions which formally guarantee, if not strict Church-State separation, in any case a mutual independence on both sides, Polish society and mores remain predominantly Catholic, whereby the Church continues to exert profound influence on social, political and private life. Indeed even though surveys suggest a slow decline in religious affiliation, Poland remains one of the countries in Europe where religion has retained not only considerable symbolic capital, but also fundamental social significance.
Michał Czelny, Marta Ordon and Michał Zawiślak (John Paul II Catholic University, Lublin).