Nation and state in the publications of Catholics in the weekly "Ład" in the years 1981-1984 (in the context of the social teaching of the Catholic Church)

Abstract

Political activities and ideological concepts presented by the community of lay Catholics gathered around the weekly magazine Ład in the period under scrutiny are extremely interesting and at the same time important section of the history of social Catholicism in Poland. In the early 1980s the magazine was a platform for both collaboration and rivalry between Catholics with different political attitudes. The editorial board consisted of people with different ideological orientations, and the pages of the Ład weekly became a place for the presentation of many different concepts, one of which was an attempt to accentuate views and emphasise the national profile. The primary aim of the study was to clarify to what extent, in the circumstances and constraints of the time, values and principles associated with the national trend appeared in the pages of the Ład weekly. In what way and how often the national community was mentioned, how it was characterised and to what extent these themes were in line with the social teaching of the Catholic Church. As a result of the analysis, it can be concluded that national ideas appeared relatively frequently in the weekly magazine Ład in the period analysed. For the most part, these ideas were formulated in accordance with the Catholic social teaching as published in various documents, and coincided with the statements made by the then leaders of the Catholic Church. The concepts voiced became a justification for the political involvement of the community and an argument for greater activity of Catholics in the public sphere in Poland.

Keywords:

Catholics in Poland, social Catholicism, Catholic magazines,