Advertising in Communication of the Catholic Church. The Case of Poland

Abstract

Religious advertising as a kind of religious persuasive communication based on the element of the sacred is a Polish phenomenon. The article presents studies on religious advertising, its definition and typology and reception by select social groups. This kind of advertising confirms not only Hjelm’s concept of the visibility of religion, as it exists in both the media and public sphere, but also David Herbert’s concept of republicisation. In a country without a clear division between State and the Church, despite a well-researched decline in traditional religiosity, religion is visible in social media and facilitates development of human relationships, both online and offline. Commercial media, including the Catholic ones, seem to be perfectly subjugated to the logic of media, which supports Stig Hjarvard’s process of mediatization of religion.