Dangerous Liaisons between the Catholic Church and State: the religious and political alliance of the nationalist right with the conservative Church in Poland

Abstract

ABSTRACT This article describes the history of relations between the Catholic Church and the Polish state in the period from the 1990s to the present. The authors defend a thesis that, although political elites and the state underwent pressure from the Church, the society had many opportunities to separate its religious beliefs from its own political choices, begin the slow process of secularization and learn the lessons of Enlightenment in this part of Europe. The political pressure of the Church on parliamentarians and its alliance with right-wing politicians is presented through the example of the In Vitro Fertilization Act. The authors analyse statements of the episcopate and speeches of right-wing politicians during a debate in the Senate. The article also refers to surveys to show a growing gap between the clerical state and the increasingly secularized society. Furthermore, the authors describe the growing political and religious alliance of “throne and altar” – especially under PiS rule – and the predominance of nationalist and conservative ideas in the Catholic Church in Poland.