Youth attitudes toward the Catholic Church in Poland: A pastoral perspective

A great majority of Polish people consider themselves Catholics. In recent years, however, dynamic processes of transformation in religiosity have taken place. They concern the entire society but above all young people. The biggest changes that take place are in the area of attitudes of the Catholic Church and her teachings. A formal act of defection from the Church is also more and more often carried out. The reason for these changes is increasing religious pluralism as well as problems within the Church herself. In the face of dynamic changes in the relations between young Poles and the Church, as well as because of the great importance of this relation in religious life, quantitative empirical studies were conducted concerning youth attitudes toward the Catholic Church. The findings of this study represent all dimensions of attitudes toward the Church. They demonstrate that the biggest problem concerns the affective-aspirational and behavioural components of this attitude. From a pastoral perspective, this is a major challenge for the Church.