Polish Petition Aims to Ban Minors From Receiving Confession

In October 2024, actor and activist Rafał Betlejewski launched a petition to ban children and teenagers under 18 from receiving the sacrament of confession. After gathering just over 13,000 signatures, the proposal is now being debated in the lower house of the Polish parliament.
The petition describes the Catholic Sacrament of Reconciliation as a "traumatic event" that "prematurely confronts minors with the concepts of good and evil". It also accuses priests of lacking the psychological training to administer the sacrament to minors.
A similar petition had already been presented to the Polish Parliament in 2023, but it was rejected because it did not meet the necessary conditions for admission. This new attempt met the formal requirements and was submitted to the Polish Parliament on 20 November 2024. The MPs now have three months to vote on the proposal.
Although the petition has little chance of becoming law, this initiative reveals a clear bias against and negative stereotyping of Catholics, as its stated aim is to "protect minors" from what is described as "an experience of humiliation and fear, a traumatic, disgusting event that children do not want and from which they cannot defend themselves".
The Archbishop of Poznań, Bishop Stanisław Gądeck, reacted by describing the petition as "completely absurd". The prelate compares this situation to some of the attacks the Church suffered during the Stalinist era: "At that time it was also said that children should not be baptised or go to church until they are 18 years old. Only then can they come and confess - those who can withstand the anticlerical pressure, of course. These are old communist moves supported by dubious psychology".
The petition represents a serious threat to the religious freedom of Polish Catholics. If approved, it would mean that children's first communion would also be banned, as Catholic doctrine states that communion must be preceded by a first confession.
Source: fr.aleteia.org, misyjne.pl, pillarcatholic.com
Image: X (EWTN Vatican)