The Catholic Church in Poland actively participates in fomenting hatred against LGBTIQ* people.
Polish Catholic patriarchs are highly respected within Polish society. The stance of the Catholic Church is based on the anti-communist resistance that led to the collapse of communism in Poland. With such strong backing, Catholic Church officials should serve as an example to society when it comes to respecting the rights of every citizen.
However, the officials of the Catholic Church in Poland are known for inciting hate towards LGBTIQ* people through dehumanizing statements. Perhaps the most well-known example is archbishop Jędraszewski. In August 2019 he claimed that Poland is being taken over by the “rainbow plague” - an “LGBT ideology” that is aiming to destroy Poland similar to the “red plague” of communism.
The Polish Episcopal Conference has been releasing statements that target LGBTIQ* people. They are calling for the opening of conversion therapy centres by local parishes or claiming that trans* people “display anti-social behaviours contrary to Christian values”.
Since then, several other officials of the church have made hateful statements towards LGBTIQ* people. Both in public media as well as during religious ceremonies. The combination of the Polish governments and the Catholic Church's anti-LGBTIQ* rhetoric is the ground for the rapidly growing rates of discrimination-motivated violence.
