From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Ever since Poland officially adopted Latin Christianity in 966, the Roman Catholic Church has played a very important religious, cultural, social and political role. Today, Poland is arguably one of the most religious countries in the Western world outside of Latin America.

For centuries, Poland has been a predominantly Roman Catholic country, and for most Poles identity is a unique combination of national and religious beliefs. During the times of foreign oppression, the Catholic Church remained for many Poles the primary source of moral values and the last bulwark in the fight for independence and national survival. The establishment of communist power had little effect on religious practices and feelings of most Poles. The communist authorities did not manage to subjugate the Catholic Church, which preserved its autonomy, became the most powerful independent Polish national organization, and in the 1970s assumed the role as mediator between the regime and the rebellious population. The 1978 election of Cardinal Karol Wojtyła as Pope John Paul II contributed greatly to the fall of communism in Poland and all over the world.

According to the office of Polish statistics, 36,600,000 persons, about 95 percent of the entire population of Poland, belonged to the Roman Catholic Church in 2000. Over 80 percent of them declare that they attend mass regularly. The remaining 2 millions of non-Roman Catholic Poles profess no religion or belong to over forty other denominations.

Latin names of dioceses in italics.

• Białystok, Bialostocensis (1)
  • Drohiczyn, Drohiczinensis (2)
  • Łomża, Lomzensis (3)
• Cracow, Cracoviensis (4)
  • Bielsko-Biała – Żywiec, Bielscensis-Zyviecensis (5)
  • Kielce, Kielcensis (6)
  • Tarnów, Tarnoviensis (7)
• Częstochowa, Czestochoviensis (8)
  • Radom, Radomensis (9)
  • Sosnowiec, Sosnoviensis (10)
• Gdańsk, Gedanensis (11)
  • Pelplin, Pelplinensis (12)
  • Toruń, Thoruniensis (13)
• Gniezno, Gnesnensis (14)
  • Bydgoszcz, Bydgostiensis (15)
  • Włocławek, Vladislaviensis (16)
• Katowice, Katovicensis (17)
  • Gliwice, Glivicensis (18)
  • Opole, Opoliensis (19)
• Łódź, Lodziensis (20)
  • Łowicz, Lovicensis (21)
• Lublin, Lublinensis (22)
  • Sandomierz, Sandomiriensis (23)
  • Siedlce, Siedlecensis (24)
• Poznań, Posnaniensis (25)
  • Kalisz, Calissiensis (26)
• Przemyśl, Premisliensis (27)
  • Rzeszów, Rzeszoviensis (28)
  • Zamość – Lubaczów, Zamosciensis-Lubaczoviensis (29)
• Szczecin – Kamień Pomorski, Sedinensis-Caminensis (30)
  • Koszalin – Kołobrzeg, Coslinensis-Colubreganus (31)
  • Zielona Góra – Gorzów Wielkopolski, Viridimontanensis-Gorzoviensis (32)
• Varmia (Olsztyn), Varmiensis (33)
  • Elbląg, Elbingensis (34)
  • Ełk, Liccanensis (35)
• Warsaw, Varsaviensis (36)
  • Płock, Plocensis (37)
  • Warsaw – Praga, Varsaviensis-Pragensis (38)
• Wrocław, Vratislaviensis (39)
  • Legnica, Legnicensis (40)
  • Świdnica, Suidniciensis (41)

• Religious denominations in Poland
• Religion in Poland
• Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church

• Frucht, Richard. Eastern Europe: An Introduction to the People, Lands, and Culture. Volume 1. ABD-CLIO inc. Santa Barbara, Ca.

• Pease, Neal (Autumn 1991). "Poland and the Holy See, 1918-1939". Slavic Review 50 (3): 521-530. 

• Conference of the Episcopate of Poland (Polish)

This Roman Catholicism by country-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it.