EN
From the Polish bishop’s perspective, the breakthrough came with the first pilgrimage of John Paul II to Poland, when the decision was made to undertake action aimed at normalising the Church–state relations. What was crucial in this regard was the debate on the forum of the Main Council of the Episcopate of Poland that involved the Holy Father. The above analysis discusses the perspective of the Episcopate of Poland on Church–state relations in the period between the end of the 1979 pilgrimage and the outbreak of strikes in July 1980. The first section of the article discusses the unknown background to the decision of John Paul II and Primate Wyszyński to normalise relations with the government; the next section presents an assessments of the outcome of the 1979 pilgrimage and its impact on the religious policy of the Polish People’s Republic; the third section presents the Episcopate’s approach to the normalisation and the related ecclesiastical priorities. The Church has a specific vision of the normalisation of the relations with the government and, after the first pilgrimage, made the decision to strengthen the pressure aimed at forcing the secular authorities to make concessions in key areas: regulation of legal personality, construction of religious buildings (including priestly seminars), establishment of the Joint Commission, and the enrolment of seminarians. With the exception of the latter, the bishops failed to win any concessions. Another issue is the resolution of the dispute related to the construction of a high-speed road in Częstochowa, which was partially dealt with in line with the Episcopate’s opinion, as there was no intention to cause a conflict, and then wholly abandoned in 1981. It ought to be stated that the Episcopate adopted a reasonable tactic that gradually yield the desired results, although certainly not at a rate that would satisfy the bishops.