Czy kościół katolicki był permanentną opozycją wobec rządów komunistów w Polsce „ludowej”?
Was the Catholic Church in Permanent Opposition to the Communist Rule in “People’s” Poland?

Summary/Abstract: The paper broadly discusses the social role of the Roman Catholic Church in Poland in the years 1944/1945–1989. The authors answer a key question from today’s perspective: during the communist era, was the Church in permanent opposition to the communist system? Their conclusions are quite clear: the activities of the Church as an institution went significantly beyond even the broadest definition of ’opposition’. In many matters, the Church substituted for the state. In others, it provided an alternative space unspoiled by an ideology that forced people to renounce their own convictions. It was also a place where millions of Poles had an opportunity to form their own independent thought.

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