Historyczno-prawne aspekty włączenia działających w II RP Kościołów ewangelickich konfesji luterańskiej i ewagelicko-unijnej do Kościoła Ewangelicko-Augsburskiego w Rzeczypospolitej Polskiej
Historical and legal aspects of the inclusion of Evangelical Churches of Lutheran and Prussian Union confession into the Evangelical-Augsburg Church in the Republic of Poland

Summary/Abstract: The 20th century was tragic for Protestantism on the Polish territory. After restauration of Poland’s sovereignty in 1918, Evangelical community amounted to around 900 thousand people, the majority of them were followers of German nationality. Five different Churches of the Lutheran and Prussian Union confession as well as Moravian Congregation (Hernhuts) existed in the Second Republic of Poland. These Churches weremainly of a local nature and their union seemed to be a distant goal. World War II almost led to the destruction of the Polish Protestantism. The Nazi terror, communist repressions and reluctant attitude of a part of the Polish society, identifying Evangelicals exclusively with German element, questioned the future of Protestantism in Poland. After World War II parishes of the Prussian Union, Old Lutheran, Evangelical-Augsburg and Helvetian Churches practically ceased to exist. However, the Evangelical-Augsburg Church did survive and under the Act of the Parliament of 4 July 1947 all other parish communities were included into its structure, unfortunately after they had been illegally deprived of their property. In fact, in 1947 the Evangelical-Augsburg Church became the all-national Church and the only successor of all Lutheran and Union Churches on the Polish territory.

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