World War II as a cause of changes in the administrative division of the Catholic Church. The example of the Diocese of Görlitz Cover Image

II wojna światowa jako przyczyna zmian w podziale administracyjnym Kościoła katolickiego. Przykład diecezji Görlitz
World War II as a cause of changes in the administrative division of the Catholic Church. The example of the Diocese of Görlitz

Author(s): Dawid Pieniężny
Subject(s): History of Church(es), Politics and religion, WW II and following years (1940 - 1949)
Published by: Wydawnictwo Adam Marszałek
Keywords: Catholic Church; war; diocese; political change

Summary/Abstract: War is a huge political change, which, in addition to its social, political, or economic effects, also has other effects. One of these may be the impact on churches and religious associations, especially on their organizational and administrative structures. An excellent example confirming this thesis is World War II, after which the organization of the Catholic Church in Europe was transformed and the Holy See revised the boundaries of archdioceses and dioceses in various countries for almost 50 years. In this article, the author addressed the specific case of the creation of the Diocese of Görlitz, which is the smallest diocese in modern Germany. Through his analysis he showed that the war has a huge impact on the functioning and efficient management in the Catholic Church and causes legal and interpretative difficulties in its administrative division and consequently, the division of competencies, while requiring delicacy, since strictly religious documents can be perceived in an explicitly political way.

  • Issue Year: 1/2024
  • Issue No: 41
  • Page Range: 106-126
  • Page Count: 21
  • Language: Polish
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