Poles Continue to Boost Congregations in Britain

Poland's Catholic bishops are drawing up guidelines for pastoral care of church members in Britain and Ireland as thousands of Poles venture abroad in the wake of Poland's admission to the European Union in 2004.

Since then, congregations that were formerly waning have been restored and expanded by the arrival of devout young Poles from the land of Pope John Paul II.

It is the Catholic community's biggest opportunity and biggest challenge," said Francis Davis, director of the Von Hugel Institute at Cambridge who is carrying out a study of the new arrivals for Cardinal Cormac Murphy- O'Connor, leader of the Catholic church in England and Wales, and Archbishop Vincent Nichols, who heads the Birmingham diocese.

"In terms of its own life this is a huge opportunity. They are bringing new energy, new life and new resources and networks into the Catholic community. They are bringing a faith of their own that is so vibrant you can chew it. And they will have an unquantifiable effect on the whole debate about the future of faith schools.

"The challenge is in the mutual lack of understanding, not only between the local population and the new arrivals, but within the Polish community, between those who came because of Communism and the young economic migrants. There are 35,000 in the Southampton area alone - more than was expected for the whole country. "

Up to two million citizens have left Poland since May 2004, fleeing from the 18 per cent unemployment in the country and seeking career opportunities abroad, according to EU data. Up to half of these emigrants now live in Britain and Ireland, the only countries allowing full access to their labour markets.