Kontakty Kościoła Ewangelicko-Augsburskiego w PRL z Polskim Kościołem Ewangelicko-Augsburskim na Obczyźnie w latach 1956–1975

Abstract

Contacts of Polish Protestant-Augsburg Church in People’sRepublic of Poland with Polish Protestant-Augsburg Churchin Exile between 1956 and 1975

(Summary)

Among hundreds of thousands Polish refugees remaining in Western Europe after the end of World War II, a dozen of thousands were Polish Protestants Lutheran and Calvinist confession. Th ey were recruited from all former Republic of Poland lands. However, residents of Central Poland and Slask Cieszynski predominated. In 1952 Lutherans associated in Polish Protestant-Augsburg Church in Exile. Bishop Wladyslaw Fierla became its superior. In 1939 he had been the rector of Polish Protestant parish in Orlowa, Slask Cieszynski. Legal status of Church was established by Republic of Poland President Andrzej Zaleski’s ordinance from 15^th December 1952 “About State’s relation to Polish Protestant-Augsburg Church in Exile”. During Stalin’s period, Church did not maintain any relations with motherly Churches in Poland and Zaolzie. Only 1956 and October’s changes in Poland brought breakthrough. Slaski Protestant-Augsburg Church in Czechoslowacja could not lead independent policy and support Polish diaspora in West Europe. Czech Republic authorities were interested in the fastest assimilation of Poles from Zaolzie, what refl ected in policy of the Church. Former Polish Protestant Church from Zaolzie faster and faster assumed binational form. Situation in Poland was diff erent, where since 1945 consequently structures

of Protestant-Augsburg Church have been built only in Polish form. In Poland, as well as in London a head of both of Polish Churches were prominent Polish national activists, who came from Slask Cieszynski, bishop Fierla and bishop Karol Kotula. In 1959 the head of Church in Poland became priest Andrzej Wantula, Wladyslaw Fierla’s close friend, who also came from Slask Cieszynski. All these resulted in intensifi cation of mutual relations between both Churches. Th eir apogee was in 1956-1975, that is to say, time of Wantula’s domination in authorities of Protestant-Augsburg Church in Poland. This period is a subject of an article.