Published: 2024-11-20

Behind the Scenes of Bishop Józef Gawlina's Selection as Protector of the Polish Diaspora (1949)

Michał Kłakus
Saeculum Christianum. Historical Writings
Section: Rozprawy i Artykuły
https://doi.org/10.21697/sc.2024.31.2.18

Abstract

After 1945, the Church in Poland faced new challenges. Among the most important were the organization of religious life in changed political conditions and the preservation of the Polish Catholic diaspora as an inseparable part of the Polish Church, especially since it was fundamentally anti-communist. Since 1931, the Protector of Poles abroad had been the Primate of Poland. After the Second World War, he could not freely travel abroad. Bishop Józef Gawlina, the military bishop, was particularly esteemed among the Polish diaspora. The last pre-war military bishop was well-educated, easily established contact with people, travelled extensively abroad, and was fluent in several languages. The aim of this article is to present the behind-the-scenes aspects of his selection as Protector of the Polish Diaspora, with particular emphasis on the intentions and efforts of Bishop Gawlina's superiors and the governments both in Warsaw and in exile (1949).

Keywords:

emigration, Gawlina, Vatican, diplomacy, Hlond, Sapieha

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Kłakus, M. (2024). Behind the Scenes of Bishop Józef Gawlina’s Selection as Protector of the Polish Diaspora (1949). Saeculum Christianum. Historical Writings, 31(2), 243–256. https://doi.org/10.21697/sc.2024.31.2.18

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