Polish Episcopal Conference plenary assembly

The Polish Episcopal Conference (KEP) concluded its 406th Plenary Assembly in Zakopane, held from October 22 to 24, 2026.

A significant outcome of the meeting was the approval of an updated statute for the Commission of Independent Experts, established in March to investigate the sexual abuse of minors within the Catholic Church in Poland. Following legal procedures to establish its legal personality, Professor Piotr Franaszek has been appointed to lead the commission.

During the assembly, bishops issued several appeals regarding social and moral issues. Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda, chairman of the conference, emphasized the duty to protect life from conception to natural death, specifically responding to recent parliamentary votes concerning unborn children. He warned that such political decisions could undermine the social perception of life’s value and called for greater support for women in difficult circumstances.

Addressing youth welfare, the bishops released a statement titled ‘Word in Care for the Young Generation’ to address rising violence among children and adolescents. The conference questioned if a modern focus on academic grades and exam results has come at the expense of moral formation and conscience-building, calling for a societal ‘examination of conscience’ to address the root causes of suffering in families and schools.

Other agenda items included the financial stability and reform of Catholic media entities following the June implementation of a Media Fund, as well as discussions on religious education and the formation of permanent deacons.