The Church in Opatów Under Communism (1945-1966)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15633/sts.3533Keywords:
St. Martin's parish Opatów, Bernardine monastery in Opatów, state-church relations, communism, anti-church policy, secularizationAbstract
After the Second World War, the communist authorities in Poland (Polish United Workers' Party - PZPR) implemented a program to eliminate the Church from public life. In the city of Opatów, which belonged to the Sandomierz diocese, the process that was implemented mirrored what was occurring throughout the country. In this article, the interactions between the Catholic Church and state authorities is presented using the example of the Opatów parish. Policy of atheism and secularization of society took over the parish of St. Martin's religious orders, schools and institutions. Religious education was removed from public schools, the material possessions of the Church were reduced, and nuns were dismissed from work at kindergartens and hospitals. The secret services and state administration for religious denominations were instituted to oversee religious and pastoral activities. The most discriminatory policy was experienced by priests, monks and nuns working in the Opatów parish. Anti-communist resistance and active religious life of Catholics in this city and surrounding villages meant that the Church maintained a high moral authority and social position.
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