In Poland, the Centres for the Integration of Foreigners, sometimes involving Caritas, are established. This creates additional opportunities for preaching, especially in the case of immigrants who profess Protestantism or Islam. Will the Catholic Church in Poland usage it?
Concerns
The Centres for the Integration of Foreigners are to be established in all “old” voivodships, so there will be 49 of them. any of them arise with the participation of the diocesan Caritas. This will be the case in Koszalin and Katowice. There is serious concern among citizens about the nature of these centres. Many people anticipate to be utilized to accommodate migrants, especially illegal ones, who are sent to Poland by Germany. If this were to happen, the Centres for the Integration of Foreigners would become de facto centres for asylum seekers in Poland, and this entails a number of serious problems. In Germany, specified centres are locally rationalized by crime, the more so as they frequently host many young, nowhere-employed Arabs. specified centres besides make tremendous costs, both due to the maintenance of asylum seekers, the renovation of the building and the impact of increased crime.
Government and Caritas assurances
The government assures that in Poland there are no specified centres. akin declarations are made by representatives of those diocesan Caritas who participate in the project. It is indicated that foreigners will not be accommodated in the Centers, but will service at different angles. It is about legal assistance essential to stabilise your stay in Poland, usage medical care, take up education and work. The centres are besides to offer training in Polish language and our culture, so that immigrants have a better chance of successful integration with society. In addition, foreigners in the Centers could number on the aid of a different character, specified as intellectual ones in the event of traumas, specified as warlike ones. Finally, they will be able to trust on food and material assistance. Małgorzata Jarosz-Jarszewska, Deputy manager of Caritas Polska, spoke about the tasks of the Centres; so are the centres presented by public officials liable for their organization and uprising. Indeed, there is no reason to question the veracity of specified declarations at this stage. Rather, the future of these centres is marked by the question. It cannot be excluded that the establishment of 49 national centres is simply a kind of organizational preparation. The centres could become a strategical start to the network needed to host large asylum groups in the future. specified a plan cannot be ruled out, but it cannot be confirmed either. The possible transformation of the Centres into mass migration management centres addressed to Poland would be only the consequence of political decisions which must fall on the Polish government-Brussels line. What's set backstage will show the future.
At this stage, it is worth asking a very different question: is individual considering spiritual care for immigrants who benefit from the Centers offer? The 4 main groups requiring a peculiar approach can be identified. They will be: Orthodox, Protestant, Muslim. The first ones come to Poland primarily from Ukraine and Belarus; the second ones – from Latin America and Africa; the 3rd ones – from Asian, mediate East and African countries.
Orthodox and Protestant
Pastoral care over Orthodox is mostly the work of the Polish Autokephal Orthodox Church. The church has more than 0.5 million registered believers, so it is not a very tiny community. It can be assumed that, in cooperation with state entities, he is capable of the organizational effort needed to take care of the inflowing Orthodox faithful. due to the centuries-old relations between the Catholic Church and the Church in Poland, any organized effort to encourage Orthodox people to join the Catholic Church cannot be expected. However, it should be remembered, wherever possible, in a dignified and appropriate manner, to remind the Orthodox people that at Christ's will the Roman Pope is the ruler of the full Church, and they have the chance to keep their own liturgical traditions besides in the Catholic Church.
The situation is completely different for Protestant and muslim immigrants. It can reasonably be assumed that immigrants professing Protestantism are not members of any large communities that have a solid structural anchor in Poland, specified as Lutherans, Evangelists or Methodists. They are most likely members of the smaller communities in which Latin America and the African continent abound. The Catholic Church conducting more organized missionary activities towards these people would not compromise any unchangeable ecumenical relations (in the case of Orthodoxy this could affect retorsions, for example against Catholics in Belarus or Russia). It can be said that any Protestant immigrants are “free electrons”—Christians who, by nature, are profoundly spiritually confused. There is simply a serious hazard that in the absence of any reliable and serious offer from the Catholic Church, they will drift either towards applicable atheism (secularisation) or become a fishing ground for non-Catholic sectarian Protestant-charism groups, which our country is increasingly abounding in. It would so seem that it would be desirable, by all means, that within the Centres of Integration of Foreigners, we present to specified people the values associated with belonging to the Catholic Church. This should be especially easy where the diocesan Caritas will be responsible. Theoretically, it besides seems possible for the Church to cooperate with the Centres managed by another entities, unless they are ideologically left-wing groups with an anti-cleric attitude. In suggesting specified entities cooperation with the Church can be made a very rational argument: linking an immigrant to the Catholic Church is an apparent way to better and faster integration into Polish society. Moreover, this can effectively prevent specified an immigrant from entering sectarian structures that are inherently disintegrating and destabilising for social life.
Islamic Problem
This applies even more to immigrants from muslim countries. It is not essential to convince anyone that leaving Muslims in Poland alone is an utmost threat not only to the salvation of their souls, but besides to the order of public life, including national security. In Poland there is simply a increasing number of muslim centres, frequently sponsored from the money of wealthy Gulf states. This creates a immense hazard of radicalisation.
This is perfectly illustrated by the German example. In Germany, terrorist attacks are comparatively uncommon for Turkish citizens or children of these citizens. This is due to an extended network of Turkish mosques. Islam in the Turkish version, with all apparent flaws and dangers, is not full open to the hazard of radicalisation by extremist Muslim fundamentalism. Most bombings are carried out in Germany by visitors from countries specified as Afghanistan or Syria. These people almost programally do not engage in close spiritual interaction with Turkish Islam, building their own spiritual environment. This frequently involves the mass exploitation of extremists present on the Internet, which are being sold by terrorists associated with the alleged muslim State. The reason for extremist fundamentalism can besides be muslim centres controlled by arabian entities, associated with fluctuity.
The Polish image of the harmless “Tatar”, which fits into the cultural wealth of the Republic, must be put back to the lame; the fresh inflowing muslim population has nothing to do with it. While only short-term workers will be sent to Poland, the hazard of radicalisation will not be high; however, if they were to settle here, besides through the legal and information assistance offered by the Centre, the problem of radicalization would rapidly become burning. This is what the Catholic Church can do to any degree by offering Muslims in Poland the chance to read the Gospel. For the Church, the precedence should be, of course, the salvation of the souls of Mahamethane, who, in professing muslim science, are in serious doctrinal and moral errors. However, any work for the evangelization of Muslims can besides be seen as seeking the safety of Poles themselves.
Lux in tenebris
A fresh approach to alleged "proselithism" by Pope Francis, which, in his opinion, should not be "used" immigrants to convert them to the Catholic faith, could stand in the way. The assumptions of this shot were described in a separate text in PCh24.pl in 2023. "Barbaric Anarchism. What is behind the fight against “proselytism”. However, it does not seem reasonable to take seriously specified objections. Protestant sects and Islam are not actual religion, but in the theological position – a falsehood that draws distant from the authentic Mystical Body of Jesus Christ. It is so essential to make all effort to attract immigrants to this body, while, of course, ensuring that their decision is voluntary.
We can hope that Polish bishops, priests and laymen will take this into account, not leaving wandering visitors in the dark, but bringing them the light, which is only Christ and His Church. The Savior called us all to preach the Good News. From this obligation, he did not grant a dispensation to anyone, hence the chance that the Centres make – it is worth utilizing wisely.
Paweł Chmielewski
Barbarian Anarchism. What is behind the fight against “proselytism”
