Polish Catholics to mark feast of Corpus Christi

Hundreds of religious processions are expected to hit the streets of towns and villages across Poland on Thursday to mark the Roman Catholic feast of Corpus Christi.

A Corpus Christi procession in the village of Witów in Poland's southern Małopolskie province. Photo: PAP/Grzegorz Momot

Photo: PAP/Grzegorz Momot

The feast of Corpus Christi is one of the oldest in the Catholic Church and has been marked since the 13th century.

During Poland’s often-turbulent history, especially when the nation was under foreign rule for 123 years until 1918, Corpus Christi processions were strongly patriotic as well as religious in flavour.

A Corpus Christi procession in the southern Polish city of Kraków in 2020. Photo: PAP/Łukasz Gągulski

The day is a public holiday in the country.

Czy w ten dzień katolicy musza uczestniczyć we mszy świętej? A co z procesją? #bożeciało https://t.co/q1fWp5io5R

— INFOR.PL (@INFORPL) May 27, 2024

About 92 percent of Poles declare themselves to be Catholics, according to statistics released by officials in 2022.

(gs)

Source: IAR, PAP