{"id":6401,"date":"2016-09-21T16:30:46","date_gmt":"2016-09-21T20:30:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/guidedhistory\/?page_id=6401"},"modified":"2016-11-30T13:36:54","modified_gmt":"2016-11-30T18:36:54","slug":"bartek-b","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/blogs.bu.edu\/guidedhistory\/law-and-religion\/bartek-b\/","title":{"rendered":"Role of the Catholic Church in Resisting Communist Rule in Poland"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Wa\u0142\u0119sa<\/a>

Wa\u0142\u0119sa and other protesters praying<\/p><\/div>\n

By Bartosz Buczynski<\/p>\n

Introduction<\/strong><\/p>\n

In the year 1989, after 44 years communism ended in Poland. The peaceful transition was forced by a nation of people who resisted the government to a point that it could not rule anymore. This populous movement was run underground and had agents in all spheres of society. People rich, poor, and with all levels of education demanded change. Naturally, being an extremely catholic country, the church and its representatives could not stay neutral in this struggle.\u00a0While amongst most\u00a0areas of the Soviet block and such Soviet satellite states as Czechoslovakia the local governments were able to push religion almost entirely out of the public sphere, however, the religious traditions made this impossible in Poland. With such people as cardinal Stefan Wyszy\u0144ski and Karol Wojty\u0142a who later became pope John Paul II in 1978<\/p>\n

\"John<\/a>

John Paul II kisses Polish soil during his first return to his country as pope, 1979.<\/p><\/div>\n

being prominent figures not only in the catholic church but also in their home country. The most celebrated heroes of the Polish struggle against communism such as Lech Wa\u0142\u0119sa looked towards their faith and often turned to prayer in the most bleak of times. Despite repression from the communist leaders, the Catholic religion and its representatives definitely played role in the Polish struggle against communism.<\/p>\n

This research guide looks at both polish and english language sources concerning the involvement of the Catholic church with the greater Polish struggle against communist rule. With a mixture of primary sources from the time period and secondary sources that can analyze the events with some more perspective, this guide will consider the extent in which the catholic church resisted the communist regime. Looking at case studies of religious figures who also got involved with politics such as Piotr Go\u0142\u0119biowski. Also, considering how the topic is looked at in pop culture through\u00a0movies and literature. The vast variety and spectrum of the sources allows for a balanced and fair analysis of the time period and a dive into the true motivations of both sides to the struggle.<\/p>\n

General Overview<\/strong><\/p>\n

When studying a topic, it is vital to get a bigger picture before narrowing it down further later. These sources provide some\u00a0necessary background information on how and way the opposition to the communist regime began and how Solidarity started. They also explain the ways in which the catholic church interacted with Solidarity and the possible what events made it possible for that relationship to change over time.<\/p>\n

LABA, ROMAN. The Roots of Solidarity: A Political Sociology of Poland’s Working-Class Democratization<\/i>. Princeton University Press, 1991.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This entire book and especially chapter 6 offer the background behind Solidarity and some of the motivations of their founders. It goes in depth on explaining how it could grow to encompass people from all kinds of social backgrounds and ways of life. It is important to understand the values of the people beginning the resistance to communist rules in order to see how they compare and contrast with the Catholic church.<\/p>\n

Stanley, John. “Sex and Solidarity, 1980-1990.” Canadian Slavonic Papers \/ Revue Canadienne Des Slavistes<\/i> 52, no. 1\/2 (2010): 131-51.<\/strong><\/p>\n

In this paper found in a more broader collection, Stanley discusses such events as the Vatican II council and how it gave power for the Polish Bishops to reach beyond the church when discussing issues. This is valuable as it explains a role that the Catholic church had in resisting communist rule. He explains that the churches ability to contact the world outside Poland gave them the ability to keep a contact with the western world. This paper also explains other ways how the church played a role. For example serving as refuge for the many haunted by the secret police or simply to care for the great majority of Roman Catholics in Solidarity.<\/p>\n

Higginson, Paul. “The Vatican and Communism from \u2032Divini Redemptoris\u2032 to Paul VI: Part 2.” New Blackfriars<\/i> 61, no. 720 (1980): 234-44.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This journal article provides plenty of background on the Catholic Churches view of socialism and communist regimes as a whole. Where most of my other sources concentrate on the situation in Poland, this article provides a broader picture that is valuable as it can be adapted to the Polish condition as well. The article goes in depth into the Vatican council and discusses its decision making and factors that it concentrates most when making decisions.<\/p>\n

Alvis, Robert E. White Eagle, Black Madonna: One Thousand Years of the Polish Catholic Tradition<\/i>. New York: Fordham University Press, 2016. <\/strong><\/p>\n

This entire book is dedicated towards the rich history of the Polish church, with each chapter dedicated to a specific time period or crucial event. However, for our purposes chapter 9 is one with the most value. This chapter explains the difficulties of setting up of the Polish church after World War II. It discusses the difficult task that Cardinal Wyszy\u0144ski had to undertake when setting up a church in an anti-religious state. This whole book provides a background to the long history of Catholicism in the nation which makes it easier to understand how much it affected everyday Polish life. While chapter 9 places all of that background into our researched time period.<\/p>\n

Catholic view<\/a> on Communism and Socialism<\/strong><\/p>\n

<\/strong>This website does a thorough job in explaining how many of the catholic values are not represented in the very essence of communism. It shows why the Catholic church was a natural opposition to communism in Poland as the very religious nature of the Polish population created millions of ideological opponents. This website offers a good background to the very core of the conflict.<\/p>\n

Polish Language printed sources<\/strong><\/p>\n

Using my ability to fluently speak Polish and access to Polish libraries that many students in the United States would not be able to allows me to use sources not available to others. I found all these books in Poland and are valuable because these authors lived through the times discussed.<\/p>\n

Ryszard Terlecki,\u00a0Polska w niewoli 1945-1989<\/em>\u00a0(Krakow: Wydawnictwo AA s.c., 2015)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Title can be translated to “Imprisoned Poland in the years 1945-1989. This book is a vital source of a general overview of the situation within the time period studied. It has chapters that show how the underground resistance was setup as well as how the government was set up to counter it. Book is written by a Ryszard Terlecki, a graduate of the Jagielonian university during the time of communist rule in the 70’s and an active politician in the post communist era therefor shows an interesting perspective of someone who experienced the times first hand.<\/p>\n

Most useful section of book discusses\u00a0the journey of Cardinal August Hlond back from Rome to Poland and the struggles he encountered with the new communist government. It also includes information about Cardinal Wyszy\u0144ski and Karol Wojty\u0142a and how they had fight to set up the church after the war. The whole book tells the story of Poland under communism in a linear way. In it intertwining the role of the church in many vital events which aids this guide.<\/p>\n

Szczepan Kowalik, W\u0142adze PRL wobec biskupa Piotra Go\u0142\u0119biowskiego\u00a0<\/em>(Radom: Wydawnictwo Encyklopedyczne, 2016)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"Bishop<\/a>

Bishop Piotr Go\u0142\u0119biowski<\/p><\/div>\n

Title can be translated to “The leaders of the Polish Peoples Rebublic (PRL) against bishop Piotr Go\u0142\u0119biowski”. This book is important to this research as it shows the attitude and actions of the ruling power towards the catholic church in the country and religion in general. It goes into the structure of how the government planned to systematically eliminate the power of the church through “Salami tactics” or slowly eliminating the church from different spheres of life.<\/p>\n

The book most notably concentrates on the story of Bishop Piotr Go\u0142\u0119biowski which as the author states himself is not the most widely known representatives of the church from that time. In the very beginning the author states the hostile nature of the state towards the church and explains how the church managed to stay relevant despite it. Through the example of the Bishop we learn about how the church was set up from the ground up and how individual representatives acted to keep people loyal to their religion.<\/p>\n

Mateusz Wyrwich,\u00a0Kapelani Solidarno\u015bci Tom II 1980-1989\u00a0<\/em>(Lublin: Oficyna Wydawnicza RYTM, 2007)<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mateusz Wyrwich,\u00a0Kapelani Solidarno\u015bci Tom III 1980-1989 (Oficyna Wydawnicza RYTM, 2009)<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Both Books were written by Mateusz Wyrwich who was a journalist for\u00a0the journal “Solidarity Weekly” between the ages of 1981 to 1989. This means that he was in the midst of the conflict and provides an interesting perspective on the topic. These books serve a multitude of case studies to analyze the ways in which the church was a part of the solidarity movement to overthrow the communist rulers.\u00a0Titles can be translated to “Chaplains of Solidarity Volume II 1980-1989” and “<\/span>Chaplains of Solidarity Volume III 1980-1989<\/span>.”<\/span><\/p>\n

Each chapter analyzes a different priest or some sort of church representative and their role in Solidarity and the opposition to the status quo as a whole. These case studies are valuable as they provide in depth information about individual agents to the movement instead of just basic facts. It provides a more behind the scenes view of how Solidarity worked with the church.<\/p>\n

Notable case studies from books \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/strong><\/p>\n

These books provide multiple examples that enhance this guide, here are\u00a0some notable once.<\/p>\n

Father Stanis\u0142aw Bogdanowicz<\/p>\n

Provides the example of a role that the catholic church had when fighting the regime. This priest was not<\/p>\n

\"Father<\/a>

Father Stanis\u0142aw Bogdanowicz<\/p><\/div>\n

noticed by the government as being a great threat and was not as active as some of the more famous priests as father Popie\u0142uszko. However, as the author of this book states, he is an example of a person who worked\u00a0to provide like minded people a place to go and discuss their feelings by holding anti communist sermon and teaching the youth. He shows a good example of a way in which priests could fight the status quo by working to keep religion relevant in all spheres of life which was exactly what the regime wanted to stop.<\/p>\n

Father Eugeniusz Dryniak<\/p>\n

\"Father<\/a>

Father Eugeniusz Dryniak<\/p><\/div>\n

This priest offers an example of someone who grew up knowing that he wants to fight he regime. The author of the book tells the story of how the priest felt he became a priest only to have a voice in this struggle. Father Dryniak is shown is this book as being a voice in his local community and bringing many people to listen to his sermons and provide inspiration. As well as his underground work with Solidarity during the time of the martial law in 1981. This priests provides an example of another way in which the church helped fight communism.<\/p>\n

Father Adam Sudo\u0142<\/p>\n

Sudo\u0142 also fills one chapter\u00a0amongst the other notable Solidarity clergymen. His story expands our<\/p>\n

\"Father<\/a>

Father Adam Sudo\u0142<\/p><\/div>\n

\u00a0understanding of the experience further as this priests is older and grew up in free Poland in the interwar years. His memory of the way things were give him an interesting perspective on the situation. He is also one who has to face backlash from the government. The author of the book describes how the government would intimidate Sudo\u0142 many times, for example by throwing bricks through his window on a few occasion. This case study provides a deeper view in the way a simple clergymen who would consistently anger the authorities.<\/p>\n

Primary Sources\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

These sources are raw examples of the way in which catholic representatives handled saw and spoke about the regime at the time. The analysis of these documents is left for anyone to make and come up with their own assumptions.<\/p>\n

Transcript\u00a0<\/a>of Pope John Paul II’s speech given on victory square in Warsaw on 2 June, 1979.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The message given by the head of the catholic church who happens also to be Polish on his first visit back to the nations capital are vital as they represent the official stance of the catholic church. This speech was seen by millions of people and showed an inability for the communist regime to stop a major Catholic gathering showing their struggle in limiting the influence of the church which was their goal.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Recording of Father Jerzy Popie\u0142uszko’s sermon for the nation on the 29th of January 1984<\/strong><\/p>\n