‘Plurality-Empathetic’ Christians: Rethinking Religious Education in Poland

Abstract

Presently, Poland appears to be a vital stronghold of Catholicism in the international arena. It appears to be a homogeneous society, that remains to be hermetically sealed and not available for people from other countries with different cultural and religious background (e.g. fear of Muslim immigrants from the Middle East). However, it does not change the fact that the processes taking place in the deepest structures of the Polish society, not only has a strong secularisation tendency, but also indicates the fact that pluralism is not a new or marginal phenomenon but rather increasing annually. From this perspective, this paper will highlight not only a better and more effective operationalisation of the practical theology assumptions with regards to the socio-cultural and religious pluralism, but also it indicates the new ways of implementing interreligious education, within the formal religious education in Poland. The paper presents a conceptual sketch of the changes in the religious education in Poland, in that religious education should meet the children and young people’s needs. Furthermore, religious education should be deeply anchored in their everyday life and shape the ‘pluralist-emphathetic’ young Christians and citizens who will support the religious dialogue and the functioning of the state, Europe and the world ‘without stakes’.

Keywords

• religious education
• interreligious education
• interreligious dialogue
• pluralism
• school pastoral care