Is Poland A Country of Roman Catholic Work Ethics?

This article engages the question of whether contemporary Poland is a country in which Catholic Work Values prevail. First, it discusses the meaning of work in Catholic Social Teachings. Then, it provides an overview of the historical experience of Poland and the Polish nation's trajectory of forming its relationship with the Catholic Church. Furthermore, based on a number of empirical studies, it explores the current role of the Catholic religion in the lives of the Poles, with an emphasis on the principles and virtues related to work. It argues that as a consequence of a long period under the occupation of foreign powers between 1795 and 19 1 8, of involvement in the two world wars, and of the post-WWII era of the Communist regime from 1945 to 1989, the model of Catholicism which has developed in Poland is characterised by a strong identification of a large proportion of the society with the Church, but, at the same time, by signs of selectivity towards religion, which transpire also in the way in which the Poles feel about and approach work-related matters.