Polish Catholic Press. A Bibliographical and Informational Review

What is it about?

The author’s intention was to recall the definition, genesis and development of the Polish Catholic press in various historical and political periods by reviewing the available litera-ture on the subject. The emergence of Catholic-oriented periodicals in Poland dates back to the first half of the 19th century during the partitions, while significant development took place after the Second Polish Republic regained independence. The first years of the People’s Republic of Poland were characterised by illusory democratic freedoms, which is why new Catholic periodicals were established. An important turning point came in 1953, when almost all periodicals published by the Catholic Church were closed. Be-tween 1953 and 1956, the editorship of Tygodnik Powszechny was taken over by the PAX Association, which collaborated with the Communist authorities, with the aim of divid-ing Catholic circles. During the political thaw, some titles were reinstated, although their content was still subject to strict censorship. The democratic changes of 1989 brought in the free market, which in turn became a financial challenge for Catholic editorial boards. Due to a lack of funds, the longstanding Przegląd Powszechny ceased its publica-tions in 2012.

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Photo by Anna Keibalo on Unsplash

Photo by Anna Keibalo on Unsplash

Why is it important?

The article is an informative and bibliographical review and shows the cor-relation between the development of the press and changing political conditions. The analysis results in a fragmentary study of the selected press segment

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