The secret support of the Polish church for male religious orders in Czechoslovakia (1956-1965): an overview

• Authors: Mirosław Szumiło
• Languages of publication: EN

Abstracts

EN

The aim of this study is to present the first ten years of secret cooperation between male religious congregations in Poland and Czechoslovakia, initiated after the political “thaw” in 1956. This phase ended with the establishment of direct contacts between Polish hierarchs and Slovak ecclesiastical emigration during the Second Vatican Council, which, in turn, opened up new prospects for cooperation. As all communication, contacts and support given were usually held in deep conspiracy, it is difficult to find written sources on the matter, and witnesses are usually deceased. Therefore, the main source of information are documents produced by the communist security apparatus (investigations into individual orders or prosecutions of arrested monks). They are supplemented by written accounts and memoirs. Considering the state of preserved sources, I focus here on a few of the most active congregations in this regard: the Redemptorists, Capuchins, Jesuits, Society of the Divine Word.

Keywords

EN

Czechoslovakia; Poland; the Catholic Church; male religious orders

Discipline

• HISTORY: HISTORY

• Publisher: Institute of History, Czech Academy of Sciences
• Journal: Slovanský přehled: historická revue pro dějiny střední, východní a jihovýchodní Evropy (Slavonic Review: Review for Central, Eastern and Southeastern European history)
• Year: 2023
• Volume: 108
• Issue: 1
• Pages: 93-116
• Document type: ARTICLE

Contributors

author

Mirosław Szumiło

• Slovanský přehled, redakce, Historický ústav AV ČR, v.v.i., Prosecká 76, 190 00 Praha 9, Czech Republic