Polska Rada Ekumeniczna i Kościoły będące jej członkami wobec Kościoła rzymskokatolickiego w latach 1945–1989
The Polish Ecumenical Council and the Attitude of Member Churches Towards the Roman Catholic Church in 1945–1989

Summary/Abstract: The attitude of minority Christian churches that were members of the Polish Ecumenical Council towards the Roman Catholic Church in communist Poland resulted from both earlier, often difficult, relations as well as the new socio-political situation that resulted from such factors as: changes in the demographics of denominations after 1945, the significant impact of the ruling regime on the scope and shape of contacts between denominations, the ecumenical openness of the Roman Catholic Church resulting from the Second Vatican Council, and the insurmountable quarrels resulting from such issues as the education of children in mixed marriages (with respect to denomination) or the fate of ecclesiastical buildings that had once belonged to the Lutheran and Greek Catholic Churches. Despite membership in the structure of the Polish Ecumenical Council, individual member churches presented diverse attitudes towards the Roman Catholic Church. Furthermore, their attitudes evolved over the course of various decades. Despite the generally positive direction of those changes and the efforts of part of the Roman Catholic clergy, not all grievances and lesser or greater conflicts of interest couldbe successfully overcome until the end of the existence of the Polish People’s Republic. Nonetheless, it is impossible not to notice that in 1989 the attitude of minority churches towards the Roman Catholic Church was much more positive than in the immediate postwar era. It is worth mentioning that this topic has been much better researched at the level of the leadership of individual churches than at that of specific parishes.

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