Polish Bishops Condemn Abortion Bills Passed by Sejm
At the close of their Zakopane plenary, they urged lasting support for women and families and warned that advancing the bills would normalize abortion.
Poland’s Catholic bishops issued a communiqué at the close of their 406th plenary assembly, held October 22–24, 2026, in Zakopane, firmly opposing two bills passed by the Sejm that would ease restrictions on abortion.
The assembly was chaired by Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda SAC of Gdańsk, president of the Polish Bishops’ Conference. The bishops declared that “even if the solutions adopted by the Sejm were rejected at later stages of the legislative process, the mere fact of processing them fosters the shaping of social acceptance of abortion as a morally neutral solution, which is incompatible with the truth.” They called for “lasting, effective, and long-term help” for women in difficult situations and their families, noting that the Church has provided such support for years.
Archbishop Wojda told reporters: “The bishops express their opposition to such a policy, which does not build but destroys,” adding that the protection of the unborn “is a duty of conscience.”
Bills Already Headed to the Senate
The Sejm passed the two measures on October 20 by votes of 217–213 and 233–203; both advanced to the Senate on October 21. The first removes penalties for assisting illegal abortions and shields medical staff in cases involving the mother’s life or health or severe fetal impairment. The second would restore abortion up to viability for severe fetal impairment or an incurable life‑threatening illness, make the procedure free in the public system, and require it to be performed within 72 hours of consent.
Since the 2020 Constitutional Tribunal ruling, abortion in Poland has been legal only to save the mother’s life or health or in cases of crime.
Abuse Commission Chairman Named
The bishops also approved a revised statute for the Commission of Independent Experts to Study the Sexual Abuse of Minors in the Catholic Church in Poland. Established in March 2026 after three years of preparation, the body is to examine cases since 1945. They appointed historian Prof. Dr. Hab. Piotr Franaszek of Jagiellonian University in Kraków as chairman; his candidacy was consulted with male and female religious superiors. The statute will be resubmitted to the Interior Ministry for legal personality, and the commission cannot begin work until that approval is granted.
Additional assembly business included a letter of support to Pope Leo XIV after his recent surgery, the tenth anniversary of Amoris Laetitia, school violence and religious education, the new pastoral program “Parish as a missionary community” beginning at Advent, preparations for World Youth Day 2027 in Seoul, and the Taizé European Youth Meeting in Łódź from December 28, 2026, to January 1, 2027.