For the Archbishop of Poznań, approving this petition would be a repetition of what happened during the Stalinist era when children could not be baptized.
Poznan – Poland (21/01/2025 12:15, Gaudium Press) The Archbishop of Poznań and former president of the Polish Episcopal Conference, Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki, condemned a petition submitted by Rafał Piotr Betlejewski to the Polish Parliament. The petition seeks to prohibit confession for minors under the age of 16.
According to the prelate, this would be a repetition of what occurred during the Stalinist era when children were not even allowed to receive the sacrament of Baptism before reaching adulthood. “Only later, and only those who resisted anti-church pressure, were able to confess,” he emphasized.
“An experience of humiliation and fear”
The petition, which has gathered over 13,000 signatures, argues that confession represents “an experience of humiliation and fear, a traumatic and unpleasant event that children do not want and cannot defend themselves against.” The actor and influencer Rafał Betlejewski described the sacrament as “a medieval relic.”
In 2023, the same petition was submitted but was rejected for failing to meet formal requirements. However, on October 16, 2024, Betlejewski resubmitted it, this time meeting the necessary criteria, although it seems unlikely that it will be approved.
The formation of a person begins at birth
In December, the Archbishop of Warsaw, Archbishop Adrian Galbas, described the initiative as “absurd and strange.” For Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki, the proposal is entirely absurd. “It is difficult to understand how, in a Christian culture where Confession has existed for nearly two thousand years, someone would suddenly propose banning it for children,” he criticized.
The Archbishop emphasized that children require education at every stage of their development. “It is essential to allow them to confess because the formation of a person begins at birth and not at the age of 16. All sacraments shape the individual gradually, layer by layer, year after year,” he argued.
Compiled by Gustavo Kralj
