wfn.org | Poland: Poll Scrutinizes Attitudes Toward Catholic

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Church 

August 25, 2002
Adventist Press Service (APD)
Christian B. Schaeffler, Editor-in-chief
Fax +41-61-261 61 18
APD@stanet.ch
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CH-4003 Basel, Switzerland

Poland: Poll Scrutinizes Attitudes Toward Catholic Church 

Warsaw/Poland./APD      According to the latest public
opinion poll conducted by the Public Opinion Research 
Centre (OBOP), a majority of Poles are loyal Catholics, 
but by no means all happy about the role of the Roman 
Catholic Church in politics and society. The survey, 
carried out by the OBOP survey agency, gives the 
following results on attitudes to religion: believing 
and practicing regularly -- 56 percent; believing and 
practicing irregularly -- 30 percent; believing but 
not practicing - 12 percent; non-believing -- 2 percent.
Responses to the question, "How much do you trust the 
Catholic Church?" produced the answers: very much - 
37 percent; fairly much -- 32 percent; while 15 percent 
"rather did not" trust it, and 11 percent definitely
did not. The Catholic Church's involvement in politics 
was according to respondents: too great -- 56 percent; 
"as it should be" -- 32 percent; too little -- 
4 percent; with 8 percent not giving a definite answer. 

As to whether the government ought to act always 
according to the social teaching of the Roman Catholic 
Church, the answers were almost equally divided: yes -- 
46 percent; no -- 45 percent; with 9 percent giving no
definite response. Summing up, OBOP found that "a 
positive attitude to the Catholic Church and its 
presence in the public life of the country"
characterizes a quarter of the population (25 percent). 
On the other hand, 19 percent exhibit "a negative attitude" 
-- distrust of the church, reluctance to have the 
principles of its teaching in political activities, and a 
conviction that its influence is too great.