1st Edition
The Church and the Totalitarian Systems, 1939–1989 Global Catholicism and the Polish Experience
Introduction. Catholicism and the totalitarian temptation: a diagnosis 1. The Church and the Totalitarianisms between the World Wars 2. Facing an eruption of aggression. The Catholic Church in Poland during the Second World War compared to other countries 3. In mortal danger. The Catholic Church and Communism, 1945‒1956 4. Modus non moriendi. The Catholic Church and Communism, 1956‒1980 5. Collaboration with the prosecutor. Catholics who cooperated with Communists in the 1960s and ‘70s 6. “In defense of the Polish Nation.” The Catholic Church in Poland struggling against Communism, 1956–1978 7. Protector of religious freedom. The election of St. John Paul II to the papacy 8. “The renewal of this land.” Solidarity and the influence of John Paul II's pontificate in Poland 9. The factor of change. The global impact of Pope John Paul II Conclusion. An antidote to totalitarianism? A final appraisal
Biography
Paweł Skibiński is a historian and political scientist and holds a professorship in the Faculty of History at the University of Warsaw, specializing in the 20th-century history of Poland and Spain. He has served as Director of the Museum of John Paul II and Primate Wyszyński (2010 ̶2015), and since 2015 as chief editor of the diary of Cardinal Wyszyński.
