In the Sejm building, a press conference was held concerning the submission of the first batch of signatures on a petition calling for the termination of the Concordat. The organizers of the campaign emphasized that this was the beginning of a debate on relations between the state and the Catholic Church.
– I am extremely pleased to welcome representatives of the Grupa Inicjatywa – people who have consistently worked for years to normalize relations between the Polish state and the Catholic Church and the Vatican – said Green Party chairwoman Magdalena Gałkiewicz. – We are convinced that the relations set out in the Concordat do not meet the standards of a modern, secular and democratic state.
Fifteen thousand citizens’ signatures were submitted to the Marshal’s Office.
Campaign initiator: “This is an important moment”
The petition was authored by Rafał Betlejewski, who said that the document had also already been submitted electronically.
– Citizens are demanding the termination of the Concordat with the Holy See – said Rafał Betlejewski. – We believe this is important for many reasons. Above all, so that Poland can regain sovereignty over lawmaking, but also over the education of children and young people.
As he added, in his view, removing religion from schools would not be possible without changes to the international agreement. – In my opinion, this is an important moment for Poland, which is moving toward regaining full sovereignty.
MPs on the need for debate
The parliamentarians present at the conference announced their support for launching a discussion in the Sejm.
MP Klaudia Jachira stressed that the issue was connected with the constitutional principle of a secular state. – I support all actions that will ensure that the provision on the secular nature of the state is not an empty slogan but a real principle – said Klaudia Jachira. – It is high time to begin a serious discussion in the Sejm about terminating the Concordat.
She added that the agreement had been signed during the period of political transformation, when society was still taking shape and did not know the Church’s future role in Poland. – If Poland is to be a fully sovereign country, it cannot allow a foreign state to have more influence over lawmaking than its citizens.
“This is not an attack on faith”
MP Marcin Józefaciuk noted that the initiative was not directed against believers.
– This is not a symbolic gesture – it is the moment when citizens tell the state: it is time to end the fiction of ideological neutrality. This is not an attack on faith. It is the defense of the principles of the rule of law – said Marcin Józefaciuk.
He also pointed to the growing number of petitions addressed to parliament. – People are demanding real change, not cosmetic adjustments. Poland is a community of citizens with different beliefs, and the state must reflect this.
Akcja Demokracja also declared its support for the initiative, pointing to the financial aspect of relations between the state and the Church.
– We are in the period of tax settlements, but is everyone really included? – said a representative of the organization. She cited an investigation into the acceptance of donations by one of the clergy and added: – Meanwhile, for another year, I am financing the growing Church Fund from my taxes. We believe the time has come for equality before the law – including financial equality – in relation to the Church.
The beginning of a parliamentary discussion
The conference participants emphasized that submitting the signatures did not yet mean the procedure for terminating the international agreement had begun, but that it was intended to lead to a parliamentary debate.
– Society is ready for such a discussion – said Klaudia Jachira. – That is why a serious conversation about state–Church relations in the 21st century is needed – added Marcin Józefaciuk.
For now, it is not known when the Sejm Committee on Petitions will consider the petition.