A Realism of Survival: Stefan Wyszyński and the Post-War Political Transformation of Poland (1945–1956)

Abstract

The above article analyzes the socio-political thought and pastoral ministry of Stefan Wyszyński in the context of the Polish state’s post-war political transformation. The author’s interpretation of the source materials is intended to present the endeavor of Wyszyński in the complicated process of post-war political changes taking place in Poland at that time. The exploration of the above research will be based on analyzing source texts by the historical method consisting of historical facts and their reinterpretation by the inductive-deductive approach. Therefore, the above article’s fundamental goal is to present the country’s post-war socio-political situation and the Catholic Church’s strategy in Poland, undertaken by Wyszyński. Presenting the significant influence of Stefan Wyszyński, who, on behalf of the Church in Poland, commenced to call on clergy to recognize and respect state authority, to cooperate in the reconstruction of the country, and to support all efforts to strengthen peace and mutual cooperation, will allow for a more comprehensive understanding of the complex relations between the Church and the communist state in the period of the post-war political transformation of Poland.