At the end of their Plenary Assembly held on 15 October, the Polish bishops underlined in a statement the importance of Pope Leo XIV’s invitation to the faithful in Poland “to continue praying for peace by reciting the Rosary in October, and to courageously undertake initiatives aimed at achieving lasting peace in Ukraine, the Gaza Strip, the Holy Land, Sudan and other places in the world affected by war where people are dying”. The bishops therefore encourage the faithful “to pray for Christians enduring persecution and suffering”. The statement also mentions the bishops’ decision to set up an independent commission to investigate cases of child abuse by some members of the clergy. During their meeting, the bishops also approved the new guidelines for the teaching of Catholic religion in Poland, which will come into force on 1 September 2027 and will be implemented on the basis of a new religion curriculum and the manuals that are currently being developed. “As the mindset of young people is changing, we have to face new challenges”, said Mgr Wojciech Osial, president of the Episcopal Commission for Catholic Education, at the end of the plenary session. “We want to show that religion – and for believers, faith – is an integral part of the educational process, highlighting the richness and beauty of the Catholic faith of the Roman Church as well as its importance for life”.