We asked the Bolesławiec county hospital on Jeleniogórska Street how many priests it employs and how much they earn. It turns out that two men from the Basilica of the Virgin Mary work at the facility. They earn quite well by recounting myths and performing rituals. The first, calculated on a full-time basis, earns PLN 5,527, while the second earns PLN 8,480 (that is, PLN 53 per hour).

Here is the detailed information from the hospital.

The Bolesławiec Healthcare Complex employs two hospital chaplains from the Basilica of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary and St. Nicholas in Bolesławiec, at 0.33 and 0.25 full-time equivalents, with gross salaries of PLN 1,824 and PLN 2,120. The chaplain's duties include:

  • providing religious ministry to the hospital's patients, in accordance with the norms of canon law
  • administering the sacrament of penance in the hospital chapel and patients' rooms
  • providing pastoral assistance and care to patients, their families and hospital staff, in accordance with the norms of church law
  • celebrating services and supervising the proper functioning of the Hospital Chapel.

In November, they each worked 35 hours.

According to data from the wynagrodzenia.pl portal, a person working as a paramedic earns a gross PLN 3,910 per month (about PLN 24 per hour), a nurse earns a gross PLN 4,330 (PLN 27 per hour), and a head nurse earns a gross PLN 5,360 (PLN 33.5 per hour).

Provincial hospital refuses to disclose salary

We also asked the Provincial Hospital for the Nervously and Mentally Ill on Tysiąclecia Avenue about the salary. The facility only confirmed that it employs one priest at 0.75 of a full-time position. However, it refused to disclose the salary, the name of the parish from which the man comes, and the number of hours worked in November 2020. The hospital replied that disclosing this information would interfere with the priest's legally protected sphere of privacy .

We filed a complaint against the facility's decision with the Provincial Administrative Court in Wrocław. We are supported by Sieć Obywatelska Watchdog Polska, which deals with the right of access to public information and its transparency. You can support the organization by donating 1% of your tax, which we encourage you to do.