AKCJA ROZBIÓREK CERKWI NA LUBELSZCZYŹNIE W ROKU 1938

Abstract

In 2008 the Polish Orthodox Church celebrated the seventieth anniversary of the mass demolition of the orthodox churches in the province of Lublin. In the period from May to July of that year, about 130 church buildings were destroyed. They were of Greek Catholic or Eastern Orthodox origin and have been closed since 1918: they have not been claimed by the Catholic Church nor become permanent Orthodox parishes recognized by the State. The anniversary celebrations were characterized by a great organization and miscellaneous character: liturgical, cultural and scientific (symposia, exhibitions, publications). The campaign of 1938 has been again described in many research aspects. At present, it is universally evaluated very negatively as an enormous evil done to the Eastern Orthodox community, but also to the Polish raison d’etat. In this situation arises the question of the participation of Catholic communities in the infamous project. In fact, for a long time, there have been formulated opinions that the Catholic Church would has participated, and even inspired the whole campaign. In the shadow of the direct allegations there was the Diocese of Lublin, in which existed most of the destroyed Eastern Orthodox Churches,and also its ordinary - Bishop Marian Leon Fulman. Meanwhile, the bishop disapproved resolutely the demolition activities at its beginning. Also the Polish Episcopate refused to participate in the demolition. The Greek Catholic Archbishop Andrzej Szeptycki condemned it very strongly. The clergy of the Lublin Diocese initially treated the affair fairly indifferently. The cases of active defense of the churches were not frequent, but also rare were the occasions when the Catholic priests supported the demolition activities. The clergy criticized the drastic methods of temples destruction. They did not cause a conversion of the Orthodox faithful to the Catholic Church, but rather they provoked among them a great annoyance and hostility toward the Catholic Church and the Polish state. The laity represented different opinions. Some have seen in the demolition an act of historical justice, because in the period of national captivity the Russian Orthodox Church was a repressive tool of Russian policy towards the Polish people and the Catholic Church, especially the Greek Catholic Church. With time however, other views prevailed. The activities of 1938 had a deplorable impact on the Polish-Ukrainian relations, including the neighborhood dimension, and led to the tragedy of fratricidal conflict during the Nazi occupation. Today, the relations between the Catholic and Eastern Orthodox Churches in Poland have improved. However, it’s still actual a demand for ecumenical reflection on the complex mutual history, in which the both sides have been persecuted.