Religion and Politics in PolandSee also Eastern Europe. 1. Brief Introduction 1. Brief Introduction to Religion and Politics in Poland Poland has a population of 38.4 million, with a population growth rate of -0.62% (July 2011 est). It had a 2010 HDI ranking of #41 and a 2010 CPI ranking of 5.3. The CIA Factbook (2002 data) lists Poland as 89.8% (75% practicing) Catholic, 1.3% Orthodox, .3% Protestant, .3% other, and 8.3% unspecified. The high figure for practicing Catholics especially sets the country off from most other members of the European Union. Casanova (2006) points to the divergence in historical experience between Poland and Western Europe, for example, in the early modern period. The Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth served as “a decentralized and religiously pluralistic ‘aristocratic res publica’” rather than a centralized absolutist monarchy subjecting religion to state control. It was also at this time that Poland became the largest center of Jewish settlement in the world. The strong nationalization and popular connections of Polish Catholicism took place during the nineteenth century when the country was divided by the Prussian, Russian, and Austrian Empires (1795-1918). The Church continued to stand as the symbol of the nation during the Nazi and Soviet occupations of the twentieth century. When native son John Paul II was elected pope, he fostered an alliance with the Solidarity union that eventually led to the Democratic Revolutions of 1989. Following 1989, the Church was faced with new political and social challenges in which it was but one interest group in a democratic society, albeit one with tremendous support. The Church focused on protecting its institutional interests and defending Catholic moral and social teachings, for example, religious education in public schools, the criminalization and restriction of abortion, and a strong concordat with the Vatican. Although some local pastors feared the impact on Polish life of joining the European Union, Pope John Paul II strongly supported the move because he saw Poland as having a special mission in the rechristianization of Europe. He wrote a letter that was read at all masses the weekend before the national referendum urging Poles to support joining the E.U. This letter pushed referendum participation over the requisite 50%. Casanova (2006, p. 69) describes four types of Polish Europhobes, with the Catholic type “who are against integration because today’s Europe has lost its Christian identity and therefore its secular, materialist, hedonist values represent a threat to Poland’s Catholic identity and values.” This is the position of integralist forces such as the right wing Catholic Radio Maryja, which has often run afoul of the Polish Bishops' Conference. Polish politics has also become much more complicated since 1989. No government has succeeded in being reelected as parliamentary power has gone from right to left to right to left to right. The Democratic Left Alliance, led by ex-Communists, won in 2001. The next government resulted from the election of September 2005 in which the center-right Law and Justice Party won 28% of the vote, followed by the center-right Civic Platform with 25% of the vote. Radio Maryja supported Law and Justice. These two parties were unable to form a common economic program, however, and Law and Justice finally joined with Self Defense, led the charismatic anti-E.U. Andrzej Lepper. President Lech Kaczynski of Law and Justice was elected president at the same time. He eventually appointed his twin brother Jaroslav Kaczynski as prime minister. That weak Polish government represented the more traditional sectors of society and was skeptical of European and capitalist influence. Polish church leadership supports a more expansive vision of Europe, but there are many critics of that episcopal vision in the lower clergy and the parishes. The resignation (see below) of the newly appointed Archbishop of Warsaw, Bishop Stanislaw Wielgus, demonstrated the divisive potential in the current campaign against those who worked with the Communist government in any way. In the elections of October 2007, Civic Platform led with 41% of the vote to 32% for Law and Justice. Turnout was up fifteen percent, with many more younger voters. The moderate Polish Peasants Party joined Civic Platform to form a majority government much more open to cooperation with Europe. Both the League of Polish Families and the Self-Defense Party failed to get the necessary five percent for parliamentary representation. On April 10, 2010, President Lech Kaczynski and 95 others, many of them top officials, died in a plane crash in Smolensk, Russia. On July 4th, Bronislaw Komorowski (Civic Platform) defeated Lech's brother, Jaroslaw Kaczynski (Law and Justice) for the presidency with 53% of the vote. Hanson (2006) discusses “Religion in Contemporary Europe and the Expansion of the European Union” (pp. 138-45); National Europe: Politics, Immigration, and Education” (pp. 145-50); and “Religion and Politics in the Contemporary West” (pp. 155-163). 2. A Short Introductory Course to Religion and Politics in Poland Casanova presents a fine brief summary of the unique Polish historical experience that explains the lack of a movement toward secularism analogous to the Western European one. See Hanson (1987) and Casanova (1994) for the Polish church under Soviet domination. Then Byrnes (book and article), plus many other discussions in Byrnes and Katzenstein book, bring the material up to date in the period in which Poland joins the European Union. Curry focuses on internal developments for the post-1989 period. Luxmoore offers a fine summary of the Church's position following the Civic Platform victory of 2007. Casanova, José, “Religion, European secular identities, and European integration,” in Byrnes, Timothy A., and Katzenstein, Peter J. Religion in an Expanding Europe (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006), 67-71. Hanson, Eric O., “Catholic Poland and Ostpolitik,” in The Catholic Church in World Politics (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1987), 197-233. Casanova, José, “Poland: From Church of the Nation to Civil Society,” in Public Religions in the Modern World (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1994), 92-113. Byrnes, Timothy A. Transnational Catholicism in Postcommunist Europe (Lanham: Rowman & Littlefield, 2001). Chapters One, Two (Poland), Five. Byrnes, Timothy A., “The Challenge of Pluralism: The Catholic Church in Democratic Poland,” in Jelen, Ted Gerard, and Wilcox, Clyde. Religion in the Comparative Perspective: The One, the Few, and the Many (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2002), 27-46. Curry, Jane L., "Poland: The Politics of God's Playground," in Wolchik, Sharon L., and Curry, Jane L., Central and East European Politics: From Communism to Democracy (Lanham, Md.: Rowman and Littlefield, 2008), 165-89. Luxmoore, Jonathan. "Poland's Identity Crisis: Coming of Age as a Democracy," Commonweal (November 23, 2007): 10-11. "Instead of creating a strong Christian Democratic center in Polish politics, Kaczynski's Law and Justice platform metamorphosed into an aggressive, nationalistic Catholic Right. . . .With Tusk's Civic Platform now promising a return to unrestrained free enterprise, some Polies think it will be up to the church to temper the worst side-effects of the free market." But not promising so far. 3. Other Key Resource Materials for Religion and Politics in Poland Ash, Timothy Garton. The Polish Revolution: Solidarity (New Haven, CT: Yale University Press, 2002). Byrnes, Timothy A., “The Polish Church: Catholic Hierarchy and Polish Politics,” Paul Christopher Manuel, Lawrence C. Reardon, Clyde Wilcox, eds. The Catholic Church and the Nation-State: Comparative Perspectives (Washington, D.C.: Georgetown University Press, 2006), 103-16. Coughlan, John, “God and Caesar in the New Europe,” America 189 (August 4-11, 2003): 20-23. Davie, Grace. Religion in Modern Europe: A Memory Mutates (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2000). Davies, Norman. God's Playground: A History of Poland (New York: Columbia University Press, 1982). The classic history. Davies, Norman. The Heart of Europe: The Past in Poland's Present (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2001). Emerson, Michael. Redrawing the Map of Europe (London: Macmillian Press, 1998). Greeley, Andrew M. Religion in Europe at the End of the Second Millennium: A Sociological Profile (New Brunswick, N.J.: Transaction Publishers, 2003). Milosz, Czeslaw. Native Realm: A Search for Self-Definition (Garden City: Doubleday, 1968). Nelsen, Brent F., Guth, James L., and Fraser, Cleveland R., “Does Religion Matter? Christianity and Public Support for the European Union,” European Union Politics 2 (2001). Ramet, Sabrina P., “Thy will be done: the Catholic Church and politics in Poland since 1989,” in Byrnes, Timothy A., and Katzenstein, Peter J. Religion in an Expanding Europe (New York: Cambridge University Press, 2006), 117-47. 4. Recent News Articles on Poland (a. Politics; b. Religion and Politics; c. Religion and Society; d. Political Economy; e. Foreign Policy): a. Politics “Solidarity Party Shut Out From Polish Parliament,” New York Times, September 24, 2001. “Center-Right Parties Leading In Polish Parliamentary Election,” New York Times, September 26, 2005. “New Polish Chief a Skeptic on Integrated Europe,” New York Times, March 9, 2006. President Lech Kaczynski visits German Chancellor Angela Merkel. “Poland’s Governing Party Joins With Populists,” New York Times, April 29, 2006. The plurality center-right party Law and Justice joins a coalition with the populist Self Defense Party, giving its leader Andrzej Lepper, a charismatic opponent of the E.U., a post as deputy prime minister. “Poles Fear Political Twins Will Double Drift to the Right,” New York Times, July 19, 2006. Lech Walesa criticizes new government of President Lech Kaczynski and Prime Minister Jaroslav Kaczynski for focusing on exposing past Communist collaborators, slowing privatization, and stirring tension with the European Union. "Polish Premier Is Routed In Record Vote, Polls Show," New York Times, October 22, 2007. See above for election results. October 23 headline is "Victors in Polish Elections Plan Closer Ties to Europe." "Polish President Dies in Jet Crash at Russian Site," New York Times, April 11, 2010. The high-level delegation was on its way to service commorating Poles massacred in World War II. Russian Premier Putin immediately expressed his condolences and his response to the tragedy was appreciated by many Poles. For a fine analysis of the impact of this extraordinary event on Polish-Russian relations, see John Connelly, "The Ultimate Crime: Katyn & the Invention of Genocide," Commonweal (August 13, 2010): 17-20. "Poland, Lacking External Enemies, Is Turning On Itself," New York Times, November 28, 2010. Dysfunctional, polarizing aspects of Polish politics. b. Religion and Politics “Poles Vote Yes to Joining European Union,” New York Times, June 9, 2003. Stresses role of letter from Pope John Paul II, read in all churches the weekend before, in pushing voting over the necessary 50% (59.6%) of registered voters. Many lower-level clergy opposed joining and advocated boycotting the vote. Vote for was 78%. “In Poland, Pope Seeks to Strengthen Bond With Faithful and Honor His Predecessor,” New York Times, May 26, 2005. Benedict XVI makes four-day visit, including time at Auschwitz. “Second Church Official Resigns in Poland,” New York Times, January 9, 2007. Turmoil results from Communist-era secret police relationships. The second case was Janusz Bielanski, rector of Krakow’s Wawel Cathedral. The first was the newly-appointed Archbishop of Warsaw, Stanislaw Wielgus (see January 8). Argument between those who favored Wielgus’s stepping down because he seems not to have been transparent with Vatican and those like former Warsaw Archbishop Glemp, who was angered by public pressure. c. Religion and Society Obit of Czeslaw Milosz, 93, Nobel Prize-winning poet and chronicler of modern cruelties. New York Times, August 15, 2004. "In Poland, a Jewish Revival Thrives--Minus Jews," New York Times, July 12, 2007. The revival of interest in Jewish culture among non-Jews, and its significance for Poland and international Judaism. "Wired Youth Aim to Stir Peers and Sway Poland's Vote," New York Times, October 21, 2007. Fine analysis of the generational and communication issues in the Polish election. "Poland's Jewish culture blooms anew," San Jose Mercury News, April 23, 2008, op-ed by Tad Taube, chairman of the Taube Foundation for Jewish Life & Culture. Great improvement in Polish-Jewish and Polish-Israeli relations. d. Political Economy "Crisis Jolts Poland, and Other Go-Go Markets," New York Times, October 27, 2008. Despite economic strength vis-a-vis countries like Hungary and the Ukraine, some impact on Poland, which has not yet joined the euro zone. Prime Minister Tusk said he hopes to join the euro by 2012. Compared with Hungary, Poland has higher growth, lower inflation, lower interest rates, less public debt compared to the size of its economy and a smaller share of foreign loans. e. Foreign Policy, including European Union “Poland’s Plea to Europe: Can’t We All Get Along?” Poland offers cut in own budget subsidies for overall budget agreement. President Kwasniewski, “National egoism won.” New York Times, June 24, 2005. “New Polish Chief a Skeptic on Integrated Europe,” New York Times, March 9, 2006. President Lech Kaczynski visits German Chancellor Angela Merkel. “War Exhibit Further Strains German-Polish Relations,” New York Times, August 31, 2006. German exhibit to commemorate German expellees from Poland stirs up controversy and politics on both sides of border. State of German-Polish relations. ""A Witness to Poland's History, Now Its Diplomatic Voice," New York Times, June 28, 2008. Biography of Wladyslaw Bartoszewski, 86, former foreign minister and Tusk's special representative for Germany and Israel. Distinguished career in Catholic Krakow circles and arrest by multiple governments, sent to Auschwitz, aided Jews, etc. "He is recognized as a person who was always able to continue dialogue, even the most complicated dialogues, in the name of Poland." (Andrzej Jonas) August 16, 2011. |
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