O. Antoniuk, PhD in History, Associate Professor
Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, Kyiv, Ukraine
DOI: https://doi.org/10.17721/1728-2640.2018.139.17
THE AGREEMENT BETWEEN THE COMMUNIST POWER AND THE POLISH EPISCOPATE OF 1950
The article explores the process of preparation and signing of the Agreement between the representatives of the government of Polish Republic (PR) and the Polish Episcopate during the first four months of 1950. The main focus is on the policy of communist power regarding the Catholic Church. The essence of this policy was to continue to exert pressure on the church in order to force it to sign an agreement on favorable conditions for the power. Repressive measures of the ruling regime are highlighted. The principal position of the Polish primate S. Vyshynsky concerning the negotiation process is established. The main provisions of the Agreement between the representatives of the government of PR and the Polish Episcopate are analyzed. The article gives an assessment of the results of the agreement by the party-state leadership of Poland, which has made from the Catholic Church its official recognition and some significant concessions. However, the authorities continued to declare their tolerance towards religion and pledged not to restrict church activities and teach religion in schools. The results of the signing the agreement for the Catholic Church in Poland, which received a temporary respite in confrontation with the authorities, are described. The agreement became a kind of shield for the church from the further aggression of party-state structures.
Key words: Catholic Church, communist power, agreement, policy, Pope, clergy, episcopate.
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