White Paper on the Persecution of the Church in Poland (Published in the 1950's)

Published by United Polish Protest Against the Persecution of the Church in Poland, 78 pages. No publication date given, but the text includes a letter dated 1953, which would suggest publication was soon after that. A5 size booklet (A34BK3WSO)

From the introduction: This "White Paper" is a collection of the more important docu­ments of the past four years, relating to the methods employed by the present Communist administration in Poland in its efforts to subordinate the Church and religion, and to transform them into instruments of the totalitarian state. The anti-religious and anti­ Church policy of the present regime has reached a climax in the forcible deposition and imprisonment of the Primate of Poland, Cardinal Stefan Wyszynski.

By waging war on the Catholic Church and other Churches in Poland, the Communist regime violates and seeks' to destroy the basic rights of man to liberty of conscience and freedom of religious observance. Although this campaign has not yet reached the stage at which the right to practise his religion is denied to the indi­vidual, it has nevertheless' struck at the concept of human liberty from which this right springs. The first line of attack has been directed towards the destruction of the very basis of ecclesiastical organisation, that is, of the voluntary, parochial congregations of the laity under the spiritual guidance of their priests. The outcome
of this attack may be the supplanting of the true pastors by state nominees, who would use the externals of religion to mislead their flocks and to foster the aims of the regime by materialistic distor­tions of the Scriptures. More pleasing to the Communists, however, would be a complete victory, with religion driven out into the
wilderness, for like others of its type in Eastern Europe, the regime in Poland has no sincere wish to reach an understanding with the Church. Its ultimate aim is to eliminate religion altogether, and to eradicate its moral influence from the life of the nation. The contents include:

Articles of the Polish Constitutions of 1921 and 1935 with regard to religion
Concordat between the Apostolic See and the Polish Republic signed in Rome on 10 Feb. 1925
Liquidation of the Greek - Catholic Church in Eastern Territories of Poland
Memorandum of the Polish Episcopate concerning the principles of the future Constitution
Agreement between the Polish Government and the Episcopate of Poland
Protocol of the Mixed Commission of the Polish Government and the Episcopate in connection with the concluded Agreement
Communication of the Polish Episcopate to the faithful Declaration of the Polish Episcopate on the peace campaign
Letter of Primate Wyszynski and Cardinal Sapieha to Mr. Boleslaw Bierut, President of the Republic
Letter of Primate Wyszynski and Cardinal Sapieha to President Bierut, on the subject of the persecution of the Church in Poland
Liquidation of Apostolic Administrations in the Western Recovered territories
Creation of the Metropolrtan Chapter of Wroclaw New Polish Constitution of 22 July - articles concerning the Church and religion Decree of 10 February 1953 on the appointments to clerical offices
Letter of Polish Bishops to President Bierut of 8 May 1953
Protest of the Polish Episcopate in view of the charges brought against the Church at the trial of Bishop Kaczmarek
Excommunication of the Holy Consistorial Congregation imposed on the authors of Cardinal Wyszynski's imprisonment
Protest of the Pope Pius XII
Polish appeal to the United Nations Organisation Cardinal Wyszynski's prayer

The condition of the booklet is generally ok. The covers are a little grubby, with several scuffs, blemishes and creases, and the remenants of an old sticker attached near the bottom of the front cover. The staple spine is intact, and all pages are intact and bound. There is considerable rusting and discoloration around the staples, creasing to some inside page corners, and yellowing throughout.