Polish pastor whose flock has doubled in just two years

Monsignor Tadeusz Kukla, in charge of pastoring Polish Roman Catholics living in England and Wales, estimates that the number of Poles in London has doubled since Poland’s accession to the EU in 2004 to 600,000. Most of these arrived last year, and thousands more are arriving each month.

He was sent over by the Polish hierarchy 30 years ago to pastor Polish students in London. Five years ago he was appointed Vicar Delegate by the Polish bishops and now operates from a 75-year-old church bought from a Protestant community in Islington, North London. He is under the authority of the Catholic bishops of England and Wales and has 30 parishes in his care. Read more