By Abdulla Gaafarelkhalifa

On New Year's Day, 2022, Archbishop Marek Jędraszewski of Krakow, Poland, issued a new decree that would impact relations between children and Catholic church officials. These stricter boundaries would drastically alter the practices of the diocese.

The decree was posted on their website and it is titled “Rule on respect for the dignity and personal rights of one’s neighbor, especially children and helpless people.”

In his decree, priests and lay people working for the diocese are barred from being alone with a minor in the minor’s home, in the priest’s or church affiliate’s own home, or taking them anywhere by car without the parents’ permission. Additionally, the decree also prohibits church officials from taking photos of minors without parental consent. The decree also emphasizes that any physical intimate contact is prohibited unless medically necessary or part of the church’s ritual practices.

The timing of this decree could be linked to a report from Poland's State Commission on Pedophilia from July. In a news conference, they announced that nearly 1 in 3 cases of pedophilia from 2017 to 2020 involved a clergy member.

The decree does, however, cover other topics that do not have any pedophilla related contotaions like corporal punishment, “hostile gestures,” and tobacco and alcohol consumption.

It has been reported that churches have 60 days to affirm familiarity with the new rules.