I realize that I might be showing my age by using young people jargon, but you’ll need to forgive my excitement. You see, Polish youths are thoroughly rejecting religious education classes, and I couldn’t be happier.

In 2010, 93% of students attended religion classes, but by 2022, this figure had dropped to 54%, according to a survey by pollster CBOS and the Polish fact-checking portal Demagog.org.

It’s a kind of double-wammy for Polish Catholics. Not only are the youth refusing to take religious education, there’s actually a shortage of people teaching these classes too. Of course, since religious people lie through their teeth at every opportunity, the church denies that there is a shortage, despite the fact that the rest of the world is in the same boat. In an effort to still offer the classes, students from different grades are being combined, and this is pissing those poor Catholics:

The petitioners accuse the Ministry of Education of failing to consult with Church representatives as required by law when issuing the decree on religious education.

The education minister stated that consultations with the Church had taken place, some feedback was incorporated, and the claims of insufficient consultation were incorrect.

Are these organizations chronically allergic to the truth? I’d say it’s an overwhelming “yes”. In any case, given how quick the decline is, the church should be worried. While it might be a little early to declare victory, things are definitely looking up.