Bishop says Poles in Britain should be allowed to attend own Masses

Published: 2006-07-19

OXFORD, England (CNS) -- A Polish bishop said Polish Catholics in England should be allowed to continue attending Masses in their own language, despite calls by British bishops for their integration into the local church. "The Polish presence is expanding all over Europe because of difficult economic and political conditions at home," said Auxiliary Bishop Ryszard Karpinski of Lublin, the Polish bishops' delegate for emigrants. "I'm sure some Poles attend English-speaking churches already, but they should have a choice -- there can be no question of the English church putting them under pressure." British bishops had been urging local parishes to reach out to an estimated 700,000 Poles who arrived after Poland joined the European Union in May 2004. Bishop Karpinski told Catholic News Service in mid-July that Polish-language parishes provided a "bridge with the homeland," as well as an "important communication center" for migrant workers seeking jobs, accommodation and companionship.

Copyright (c) 2006 Catholic News Service /U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops. The CNS news report may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed, including but not limited to such means as framing or any other digital copying or distribution method, in whole or in part without the prior written authority of Catholic News Service .