Piotr Skarga as a problem in ecumenic dialogue of Protestants and a precursor of Tridentine-Catholic confessinalisation in Poland

Abstract

At the begining the author quotes the resolution enacted by the Parliament of the Republic of Poland of 16 September 2011 which established the year 2012 as “The Year of Rev. Piotr Skarga” and the resolution of the Synod of the Evangelical-Augsburg Church of 16 October 2011. The latter states at the end: “The Parliament of the Republic of Poland commemorates a controversial figure and ideas that should be alien to modern society. This decision seems incomprehensive to us as it happens in a religiously neutral state and at the time when some members of parliament declared to be open to ecumenic initiatives”. Then the author characterises the model of “religious confessionalisation” formulated by Heinz Schilling and Wolfgang Einhard and assesses its usefulness in evaluating the religious and public activities of rev. Pior Skarga (1531–1612). In the author`s view Piotr Skarga, besides cardinal Stanislaw Hozjusz (1504–1579), was a precursor of “Tridentine-Catholic confessionalisation” which was settled in Poland a hundred years later than in western European countries. “Confessionalisation” concerned all confessions and its characteristic feature was, in fact, religious intolerance. Both models of confessionalisation: “Tridentine-Catholic” and “Lutheran-Protestant” emphasized superiority of its own cult over the others, propagated self-discipline,monopolized education, exercised censorship, etc. All the features representative of confessionalisation can be observed in public activities of Skarga, especially in his writings. It is conspicuous in his published polemics with Calvinist Andrzej Wolan. Skarga was a child of his times and therefore it is not easy to criticize his weaknesses from our point of view. Catholics will regard him as a paragon of zealous believer and Protestants as a religious fanatic and uncompromising opponent of religious tolerance.