Contemporary Conditions of Pastoral Conversation in Poland

Abstract

The article presents the most important contemporary conditions of pastoral conversation which is a form of individual pastoral care in Poland. Because of the fast ongoing social, cultural and religious changes in the Polish society, more and more faithful ask priests for pastoral conversation because they cannot find satisfying answers to their existential and religious questions in universal pastoral care. The first part of the article is meant to define pastoral conversation as a form of pastoral ministry in the Catholic Church in Poland. The next part describes new religious conditions of pastoral conversation as well as the current existential conditions of this form of pastoral care. The final part indicates the weak points of the preparation for pastoral ministry and of pastoral ministry itself which significantly impede the effectiveness of pastoral conversation and limit its support to those who need it.