The government of Donald Tusk is escalating its assault on Poland’s Catholic identity, targeting religious education, traditional values, and freedom of speech. Through radical educational reforms, speech restrictions, and legal maneuvers, the ruling coalition is systematically eroding the Christian foundations of Polish society.
Poland’s Ministry of Education, led by far-left politician Barbara Nowacka, on Thursday, March 6th, announced on Thursday that Health Education will replace the long-standing Family Life Education in schools. The new curriculum, set to begin in September 2025, introduces Western-style permissive sex education based on World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines, which promote sexual liberalism from an early age.
The curriculum encourages discussions on sexual health and relationships, far removed from Poland’s traditional, faith-based approach to family and personal development.
Despite government claims that the subject will be optional, parents fear pressure and social engineering in schools, especially given the Polish government’s clear ideological agenda.
This move mirrors the policies of Western liberal governments, where so-called “comprehensive sex education” has been used to normalize abortion, LGBT ideology, and the pornographic industry’s influence on youth culture.
While the ministry assures that parents can opt out, similar assurances in Western Europe have led to coercion, social exclusion, and legal repercussions for families resisting state-mandated ideological indoctrination.
Tusk’s government is also pushing radical hate speech laws that will criminalize criticism of LGBT ideology, gender activism, and leftist policies. The amendments to Poland’s Penal Code passed by the Sejm, also on Thursday, expand ‘hate crime’ definitions to include gender, disability, and sexual orientation, making it easier to prosecute those who speak against radical social changes. The changes include up to three years in prison for criticizing LGBT ideology.
Equality Minister Katarzyna Kotula did not hide her joy at the adoption of this far-reaching amendment: “The hate speech protection bill has been passed. The Penal Code will now include new protected characteristics—sexual orientation, age, gender, and disability. This is the fulfillment of the ruling coalition’s promise to social organizations, and I am delighted that we could pass this change together. The amendment expands the list of hate crimes to include four new categories, which will now be prosecuted ex officio, just like offenses based on nationality, ethnicity, race, or religion. The witch hunt against LGBT+ people from the PiS era is now just an infamous chapter of history”.
Paweł Śliz, an MP from Polska 2050, defended the bill, arguing that any form of hatred must be met with severe punishment.
However, the lack of clear definitions in the bill raised concerns among critics. Karina Bosak from the right-wing Confederation warned that the law could criminalize speech without clear legal boundaries.
“The scope of what can be considered a crime under this law is completely vague and arbitrary. If a court rules that a crime has been committed, imprisonment is mandatory. The bill does not provide for fines or alternative sentences. Handing out three-year prison terms for opinions on sexuality is absurd”, she argued during a debate in the Polish Parliament.
Lawmakers from PiS condemned the law as an attack on free speech, warning that it could lead to the imprisonment of people for expressing biological facts.
“This law has only one purpose—to gag people and imprison them for opinions that, in a democratic state, they have the right to express,” Michał Woś, PiS MP commented.
This law follows the authoritarian model already in place in Germany, Belgium, and the UK, where pastors, activists, and ordinary citizens have faced prosecution for expressing their religious beliefs. Critics warn that Christian teachings on morality could soon become illegal in Poland.
“This law is about silencing opposition. In Western Europe, similar laws have led to arrests for praying outside abortion clinics. Will Catholic priests in Poland be next?” asked Dr. Artur Dąbrowski from Catholic Action Poland, quoted by the Catholic radio broadcaster Radio Maryja.
Earlier, in yet another blow to Poland’s Catholic identity, the government cut religious education in public schools, ignoring the protests of the Catholic Church and the constitutional rights of parents. Religion classes, that came back to Polish schools after the fall of Communism, were reduced to one hour per week and scheduled at inconvenient times (before or after regular school hours) to discourage participation. No consultation was conducted with the Church or religious organizations.
The Polish Bishops’ Conference has condemned this move as illegal, emphasizing that Polish law requires consultation with religious institutions before making such changes. The Church has warned that this is only the first step toward removing religion from schools entirely.
“Reducing religious education is a direct violation of parents’ rights and religious freedom. It is an attempt to push Christianity out of public life,” the Polish Bishops’ Conference warned in a statement.
The attack on Catholic education and speech freedoms is part of a broader ideological agenda aimed at weakening Christianity’s role in Polish society. As Ordo Iuris, a Polish legal think tank, warned in 2024, Tusk’s government plans legal changes that could strip Christians of their rights and marginalize their influence in public life. The plans include restrictions on religious schools, funding for Catholic institutions, and potential removal of Church tax benefits (despite similar funding existing in most EU countries).
These changes mirror the trajectory of Western European countries, where Christian values have been erased from public life through a mix of censorship, legal persecution, and state-controlled education.
“If we do not resist these attacks now, Polish Christians will soon find themselves in the same position as believers in Western Europe: persecuted, silenced, and forced to hide their faith in public life” Jerzy Kwaśniewski, chair of Ordo Iuris Legal Institute, warned.