The Catholic Historical Review

Abstract:

Using the example of sermons, this article deals with the little-known problem of the presence of the Jewish subject matter in the teachings of the Catholic Church in communist Poland (1945–1989). Although these issues occupied a marginal place in the sermons, they can help one understand the different contexts in which references to Jews appeared in the pulpit message. Their source, to the greatest extent, was religious matters. This article discusses the varied account of Jews, in which the priests often situated this community as strangers rather than neighbors, and expressed anti-Jewish prejudices. After the Second Vatican Council, it became noticeable that the content hostile to Jews was being removed from the Church’s message, and this also applied to the sermons.