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Pray for Poland

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Poland is located in Central Europe.
It is bordered by Germany in the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia in the south,
Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania in the east, and the Baltic Sea in the north.

Warsaw is the capital.
The population is over 38 million.

FACTS
Poland is the 69th largest country in the world and the 9th largest in Europe.

Poland has been known for its art and culture and has seen many famous artists,
writers and composers. (ex. Chopin)

Pope John Paul II (1920-2005) was from Poland.

Poland has seen a great deal of tragedy and suffering throughout its history.
During WWII the Nazi’s set up six major extermination camps in Poland,
including Treblinka and Auschwitz.

Before World War II, a third of Poland's population was made of various ethnic minorities.
After the war, nearly all the minorities were gone, due to the Holocaust and revision
of borders.

Of all the countries involved in WWII, Poland lost the highest percentage of citizens.
Nearly a fifth of the population was killed (Over 6 million).
Half of those killed were Jewish. (3 million).
Poland didn’t approach its pre-war population levels until the 1970’s.

DEMOGRAPHICS
96.7%   Slavic
1.44%   Other
0.2%    Foreign citizens

86%    Catholic
10%    None
1%     Orthodox
0.4%   Protestant
0.10%  Muslim
0.02%  Buddhist
0.01%  Jewish
0.01%  Hindu

HISTORY
Poland has been inhabited for thousands of years by various ethnic groups,
including the Slavic people.

Poland began to form into a recognizable territory around the middle of the 10th century.

In 1320 Poland became unified and began to expand.
Poland became a center of many immigrants.
Many Germans, Armenians and Jews settled in the area.

Poland was at its height during the 1500’s.
During that time it was a strong European power and a major cultural entity.

During the 17th century Poland suffered from internal disorder and conflicts
with other countries.
Famines and epidemics caused millions of deaths.

Durng the late 18th century Poland lost most of its territory to Russia,
Prussia and Austria.

In 1807 Napoleon I, recreated a Polish state, the Duchy of Warsaw.

In 1815, after the Napoleonic Wars, Poland was again divided.
The eastern part was ruled by Russia.

In 1918, after World War I, Poland regained its independence.

ON Sept 1, 1939 Nazi Germany invaded Poland, causing the beginning of WWII.
The Soviet Union, allied with Germany at the time, invaded on the 17th
The country never officially surrendered and continued the war effort under
the Polish government in exile.

Poland fielded the third largest army among the Allies, after Russia, Britain
and the U.S.
Notable Polish units fought in every campaign in Europe and North Africa.

After WWII, Poland's western borders were shifted.
This caused the country to lose 20% of its territory.
The shift forced millions migrate, most of whom were Poles, Germans, Ukrainians, and Jews.

The Soviet Union controlled Poland from 1945-1990.
During this time anti-Communist groups were persecuted.
Despite this, Poland was considered one of the least repressive states of the Soviet Bloc.

The Soviet Union collapsed in 1990.
As with all other post-Communist countries, Poland suffered a temporary economic
slump but soon developed a booming economy.

CONDITIONS
Poland has a high-income economy and is considered to one of the healthiest
of the post-Communist countries.

Poland is the only European economy to have avoided the late-2000s recession.

Since the fall of Communism, Poland has pursued a policy of liberalising the economy.
Tourism is a major industry and has seen a steady increase.

Millions of Poles live and work elsewhere in Europe, particularly in the UK.

Some Communistic attitudes remain.
There are some problems with judicial and political corruption.
Some economic affairs are mired in bureaucratic red tape.

There are problems with unempolyment and poverty among the rural population.

There have been some problems with violence and lack of a moral compass among youth.

Discrimination of minorities exists.

SPIRITUAL CONDITIONS
Poland is one of the the most religious countries in Europe.
Most of the population is Catholic.
Catholicism is tied very close to Polish identity.

Catholicism in Poland tends to be very conservative.
Polish Catholicism is particularly noted for its devotion to Mary.

The small number of Protestants and Evangelicals tend to be viewed as sects.

For many people church membership is purely cultural.
Personal faith tends to be nominal for many.
Many consider themselves Christian simply because they were baptized.

Many church members are non-practicing.
Only about 28% go to church

There has been a great deal of conflicts and schisms both among and within
different denominations.
Genuine cooperation is still new territory for most churches.

After the fall of Communism there was a period of church growth, but since then
there has been relative stagnation.

Materialism is growing.

There have been rising anti-clergy movements.

Bible training for church leaders developed quickly but has recently declined.
Well-trained, experienced pastors are in short supply.
Many who complete their studies leave Poland for other lands.

There has been a rise in Jehovah’s Witnesses.

Muslims have been growin in numbers and infuence.

Pagan, Wiccan and New Age groups have been steadily growing.
Many practitioners combine these with Catholicism.

12% of the foreign citizens that live in Poland are unreached.

PRAYER NEEDS
Pray that corruption ceases.

Pray that discrimination ceases.

Pray for those suffering from poverty and unemployment.

Pray for Catholics to focus on Jesus alone.

Pray that Evangelicals experience encouragement and growth.

Pray that the Holy Spirit trigger a revival in Poland.

Pray that the Holy Spirit bring reconciliation, fellowship and unity
among different congregations.

Pray that the Gospel spread to those who do not know him.

Pray for hearts open to Gospel among the materialistic youth.

Pray that the Poles who live and work elsewhere in Europe, be exposed to the Gospel.

Pray for an increase in Biblical training.

Pray for an increase in trained pastors.

Pray that Christians have discernment against non-Biblical teachings.

Pray that occult spirits be bound.

Pray for a new surge of students and for biblical faithfulness and missions vision.

Pray for more national missionaries to take the gospel to other Slavic nations.
Prayer update: Poland

All of the above information comes from the following links.

Wikipedia
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Poland

Operation World
www.operationworld.org/pola

PrayerCast
prayercast.com/poland
© 2012 - 2024 SeekHim
Comments29
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LordDamianus's avatar

Poland is the most religious country in Europe

Not true. That's Malta, Romania and maybe also Greece.


Most of the population is Catholic

True.


Catholicism is tied very close to Polish identity

True.


Catholicism in Poland tends to be very conservative

Also true.


Polish Catholicism is particularly noted for its devotion to Mary

True. For some reason, we worship Mary more than the other catholics across the globe.


Many consider themselves Christian simply because they were baptized

Doesn't it work like that? Being baptized makes you being a part of the Church.


Many church members are non-practicing

I'd say MOST of the Church members are non-practicing. I don't know about the other Christian denominations, but according to the newest research only about 28% of catholics in Poland go to the church. The religious practices decreased especially during the COVID pandemic. The churchgoers number will keep decreasing, especially since the oldest (retired) generations (the main group of people active in the Church) are much more numerous than young generations and they will die soon. The number of catholics will be declining even more rapidly because of Poland's inverted demographic pyramid and social trends.


For many people church membership is purely cultural

True. In most cases it's not faith but simply a cultural attachment and traditional habit. People in Poland (not just catholics) go to the church because they think it's the right thing to do and don't want to be talked about by others for not going there.


There have been rising anti-clergy movements

True. Anticlericalism is stronger than ever these days. Back in 2010 it was something to be considered as unthinkable but here we are today. Even just recently, there's been attacks on the pope John Paul II started by some TV documentary and a few pope statues across the country got vandalised by throwing a paint on it. The Church is getting so opressed by simple citizens that would make the communists proud.


Bible training for church leaders developed quickly but has recently declined

Sadly true. Catholics in Poland barely read the Bible, if not at all. But that's a typical trait of all catholics in the world. Reading the Bible is more of a protestant thing.


Well-trained, experienced pastors are in short supply

The crisis of priestly vocations is very serious in Poland. If I remember correctly, we have one of the lowest amounts of vocations in the world.


So, yeah. To sum things up, Poland isn't the same catholic country as it used to be. Most of people in the world (especially in the West) aren't aware of this, but here in Poland we can see that the Christian faith and the Church's authority and influence is weaker and has less and less importance. Even the pope John Paul II's authority and persona will be forgotten because the younger generations were born after his death and simply didn't know him.