On December 15, 2025, during a class at a school in Kielno, a teacher ordered the students to remove a cross from the wall. When the students refused, citing their religious beliefs and respect for the cross, the woman removed it herself and threw it in the trash.

The teacher’s behavior sparked outrage among parents and residents, who organized a protest outside the school on January 8. They all emphasized that schools cannot be places of blatant hostility toward religious symbols and that teachers should not impose a worldview on students that contradicts the religious beliefs of the students and their parents.

All of this is happening in Poland, governed by a coalition formed by Donald Tusk—a coalition more anticlerical and hostile toward the Church and Christian values ​​than during the communist regime. Desecrations of religious symbols and attempts to remove them from the public sphere are on the rise. Furthermore, a hate campaign against the Church, Catholics, and Christian values ​​is tolerated—if not encouraged—by those currently in power. In this case, the media, allied with the government, defends the teacher’s sacrilegious act, downplaying its seriousness. They also attack the students and their parents, who have become the target of shameful online harassment. The same authorities who would prefer maximum internet censorship (to silence any voice critical of the government) are, in this instance, tolerating such hate speech.

It’s also worth remembering that Tusk chose Barbara Nowacka, a staunch atheist, abortion rights advocate, and LGBT rights supporter, as Minister of Education. Nowacka is doing everything possible to eliminate religious instruction from schools (so far, she has managed to limit it to one optional hour per week). Meanwhile, Justice Minister Waldemar Žurek wants to “soften” the penalties for offenses against religious sentiments during this period. This would leave the rights of believers less protected compared to the right to criticize religion. It is in this anti-clerical atmosphere that prevails in Poland today that cases like the Kielno incident arise.

The incident at the school in Kielno provoked an immediate reaction from the Polish bishops. Archbishop Tadeusz Wojda, president of the Polish Bishops’ Conference, issued a statement expressing his sadness upon learning of the desecration of a cross. “The cross, symbol of the sacrifice made by Jesus Christ out of love for every person, occupies a special place not only in the hearts of believers but also in our Polish tradition and culture. Every act of insult wounds the religious sentiment of the faithful and arouses justified concern and opposition from people of goodwill,” the archbishop wrote, while also expressing his gratitude “to those who responsibly and courageously defended the sign of the cross, bearing witness to their faith and their commitment to Christian values. I also sincerely thank those who participated in the expiatory service and the public veneration of the cross in the parish of Kielno, offering prayers in reparation for the offense.”

Monsignor Wojciech Osial, president of the Commission for Catholic Education of the Polish Episcopal Conference, also commented on the incident. In his statement, the bishop, on behalf of the Commission, invited everyone to reflect more deeply on the meaning of the Sacrifice of the Cross, on mutual respect, and on the importance of educating younger generations in a spirit of responsibility, dialogue, and respect for values.

“Regarding the removal and desecration of a cross at a school in Kielno, the Commission for Catholic Education of the Polish Bishops’ Conference expresses its outrage at such acts against Christianity and the right of children to be educated according to their parents’ worldview. We sincerely thank all those who courageously defended the cross,” writes Bishop Osial. He then recalls that “the Constitution of the Republic of Poland guarantees everyone freedom of conscience and religion, which is also realized in the right to publicly manifest one’s religion (Article 53, paragraphs 1-2), which includes, among other things, the display of religious symbols in public spaces.” He further explains that “the right to place a cross on school premises is expressly guaranteed by the Regulation of the Minister of Education of April 14, 1992, on the conditions and procedures for organizing religious education in kindergartens and public schools.” In Poland, the Education Act clearly states that “teaching and education, respecting the Christian value system, are based on universal ethical principles. Teaching and education serve to develop in young people a sense of responsibility, love of country, and respect for Polish cultural heritage, while promoting openness to the values ​​of European and world cultures.”

Monsignor Osial concludes with an appeal to the authorities: “That state institutions take decisive measures to guarantee respect for the symbol of the cross, so that the incident that occurred at the school in Kielno is not repeated.”

The original article in Italian was published in ACI Stampa