Arkady Rzegocki on the importance of the Church in Poland

Political scientist Arkady Rzegocki of the Jagiellonen University in Cracow explains in an interview with Tomasz P. Terlikowski why the Poles have more faith in the Church than in the State. "For Poles, and even Polish politicians, there is no contradiction between being a member of the Church and being loyal to the State. Paradoxically, this is a consequence of the weakness of the Polish state. The Polish people don't identify with the State because they can't count on it. The State is still perceived as a curse rather than an instrument that strengthens our sense of unity... [In Poland] the Church is one of the few institutions that creates a sense of national community. It is our spiritual and religious tradition that creates something that unites us Poles and provides us with an identity."

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