Johannes Paul II. und der slowakische Katholizismus auf dem Weg zur politischen Wende 1989

Abstract

John Paul II’s Ostpolitik and its influence on the erosion of the communist system rank among the most addressed topics in historical research on the pontificate. In international discourse, however, the focus is often placed on the Pope’s relations with the great powers or with Poland, while the then “stateless” Slovakia -although similar to Poland in its religious characteristics and of considerable importance within the Pope’s European concept of Christian renewal- is practically absent from scholarly discussion. Drawing from a wide variety of sources, the article aims to integrate the Slovak case into international reflection. It examines the complex relations between the Pope, Slovakia’s Catholicism - at home and in exile, within state-recognised and clandestine church structures- and Czechoslovakia’s communist regime, placing them in their international context. On the one hand, the study reconstructs the diplomatic activities of John Paul II, who continued the Ostpolitik of Paul VI, giving it a more radical character, often on the brink of an open conflict. On the other hand, it looks back at the vast mobilisation of Catholics and the moral and practical support given to the Church behind the Iron Curtain. The Marian and Cyrillo-Methodian spirituality of the Pope, the emphasis put on the rights of the nation and human rights -including the right to religious freedom- the valorisation of great historical figures and shrines rooted in Christianity, the lively communication across the barbed wire, the Pope’s policy of appointments and invitations, his public letters, speeches and gestures, as well as his frequent pronouncements encouraging Catholics to free themselves from fear and indifference, met with a broad response in Slovakia and contributed to the religious, national and social awakening of the country.