Positionnement de la hiérarchie catholique polonaise face à l'Etat et à la population dans les années 1980

Abstract

The social power of the Roman Catholic Church in Poland in the 1980s is usually explained as follows: the Church was the sole institution capable of expressing opposition to Communism. The legitimacy of this representation as perceived by the population is thus considered as the main cause of the popular support and therefore of the strength the Church had at that time. This analytical perspective tends, however, to ignore the micro aspects of the question. We begin with two postulates: (1) Polish society in the 1980s was by and large quite secularized in matters of values and daily behavior; (2) the power of the Church was based on massive popular participation. We submit as a general hypothesis that the practice of investing the Catholic rituals with an expression of opposition was almost cost-free. The Church never tried to control convictions and behaviors. We see this policy as a compromise, fully considered as such by the clergy, but also as the consequence of a broader compromise with the Communist authorities.