The Catholic Church and the Ethic of Solidarity in Poland After 1989: An Update

Abstract

Abstract In spite of impressive economic growth and a burgeoning middle class in recent years, millions of Poles continue to suffer from poverty. Entrenched poverty and marginalization reveal that Polish society needs a revitalization of the ethic of solidarity, which largely disintegrated after 1989. The Roman Catholic Church should play a pivotal role in this endeavor. Promoting an ethic of solidarity is an intrinsic component of the Catholic Church’s mission of evangelization. Although the Church has advanced an ethic of solidarity in some ways, it has also hindered the fostering of greater social solidarity. In part, this stems from a failure of many Catholics, including Church leaders, to see advancing an ethic of solidarity as an integral dimension of evangelization.