Mrs. Agata Gramatyka described her story. The woman decided to leave the Church. Although she was born into a Catholic family, she never identified with his teachings. The events of recent years especially helped her make the final decision to apostasy – e.g. the Women’s Strike, caused by the decision of the Constitutional Tribunal by Julia Przyłębska to outlaw abortion due to severe, irreversible damage to the fetus. Mrs. Agata also does not like the fact that the Church in Poland has such a monopoly position – that is why, e.g. compared to France, the state cannot be said to be completely secular.
“One of the things that bothers me in Poland is the presence of the Church in the public sphere, the slow monopolization of public life. An example that recently outraged me: the city and commune office in my hometown posts pro-church content on its Facebook profile, for example advertising pilgrimages or informs about the allocation of various types of state or EU funds for church renovations (…),” she said.
She wanted to leave the Church. What she heard from the priest was terrifying
The “GW” interlocutor lives in France. Her decision to leave the Church was also influenced by all the revealed scandals involving clergy in Canada and France. So she decided to go to her parish with an appropriate application.
“When the priest finally came, he didn’t want to accept my apostasy because he said he wasn’t sure if I was from his parish because he didn’t know me. I replied that he couldn’t know me because I didn’t go to church, but if he wanted, I can show proof,” according to her account.
“He explained to me that pedophiles are protected because the community considers them its members.”
At the beginning, the priest pointed out to the woman that there was no mention of a Catholic funeral in the form, so Mrs. Agata added it. Then he started asking her about the reason for leaving the community.
I told him that I thought the Church was an organization that did a lot of evil. He began to discuss that he did not agree that over the centuries the Church had achieved more good than bad. Then I told about pedophilia in the Church, scandals around the world and that the Church as an organization protects pedophiles, hides them from the justice system, bishops transfer priests to other parishes
– we read. It was then that the parish priest made a statement that should never have happened.
The parish priest explained to me that pedophiles are protected because the community considers them its members, and if someone in my family did something dirty, I would also hide him. I was shocked that something like that could be said openly!
– Mrs. Agata recalled.
“They know they will have easy access to victims.”
This caused huge opposition from the woman. She immediately retorted that if such a situation happened in her family, she would have no scruples and would immediately notify the appropriate authorities. In her opinion, this is why the Church attracts so many people who could harm minors.
People who have such tendencies know that they will have easy access to victims and can count on support if needed
– she said. She added that her loved ones did not understand the steps she took at first, but over time they accepted them. The “GW” interlocutor herself emphasized that she absolutely did not regret her decision – or rather that she “didn’t do it earlier.”
Apostasy in Poland. Are more and more people turning away from the Church?
Let us recall that apostasy is a formal act of leaving the Church. This means that the person who decides to take this step is subject to excommunication. This excludes her from active participation in Catholic rites, e.g. she cannot be a witness at a church wedding or baptism, and she is not entitled to a church funeral.
The public discussion about apostasy is still lively in Poland, and in recent years the Catholic Church has witnessed a crisis of vocations. Last year, apostates who, after many years, decided to leave a community with which they had nothing to do with de facto, told us about their experiences:
A year ago, the topic of apostasy also returned thanks to the famous artist Dawid Podsiadło, who in the “Wojewódzki i Kędzierski” podcast, in response to a question from one of the hosts, announced that he intended to leave the Church and talked about his motivations related to this decision.
Sources: rzeszow.wyborcza.pl/Kobieta.gazeta.pl
Source: Gazeta
Bruce is a talented author and journalist with a passion for entertainment . He currently works as a writer at the 247 News Agency, where he has established himself as a respected voice in the industry.
