Problematyka ekologiczna w wypowiedziach przedstawicieli Kościoła katolickiego w Polsce współczesnej (w kontekście społecznego nauczania Kościoła katolickiego)
The ecological problematic in the statements of the representatives of contemporary Polish Catholicism (in the context of the Catholic social teaching)

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Summary/Abstract: Ecological issues have been present in the official social teaching of the Catholic Church for many years. It was in particular Pope Francis’ encyclical Laudato si’, devoted to environmental issues, that brought forth a huge response worldwide. The primary aim of this study is to search for answers to the following questions: What is the attitude of Polish Catholicism to the social teaching of the Catholic Church with regard to ecology? What is the extent of the awareness of the ecological crisis? What causes are indicated and what proposals for change are formulated? Are representatives of contemporary Polish Catholicism unanimous in their statements referring to ecology or can significant differences between them be indicated? The analysis was conducted on statements made by representatives of contemporary Polish Catholicism and found in documents of the institutional Church and in official public utterances. An important subject of research was also the analysis of publications referring to ecological issues in influential Catholic magazines, i.e. Niedziela, Gość Niedzielny, Przewodnik Katolicki, Tygodnik Powszechny and Więźi Znak. Based on the statements analysed, it can be concluded that ecological issues are treated with great attention. The majority of the opinions published agree that ecological threats are extremely important and require a reaction; however, there are still some representatives of Polish Catholicism that approach these issues with some reservations and a great deal of caution, especially with regard to statements and actions instigated by eco-activists. Some differences can also be seen in the context of the main causes of the environmental crisis and the choice of methods and tools for changing the situation as indicated in the statements. When reporting on the social teaching of the Catholic Church concerning ecological issues, other components of this teaching are often emphasized and given various interpretations. These differences are visible both in the context of statements made by representatives of the institutional Church and in the comments and opinions published in the above-mentioned magazines.

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