Duchowieństwo wobec śmierci i uroczytości pogrzebowych Bolesława Bieruta
Clergy and death as well as funeral ceremony of Bolesław Bierut

Summary/Abstract: Bolesław Bierut, the first secretary of KC PZPR, died suddenly after a short illness in Moscow on March 12 1956. The funeral ceremony took place with great pomp on 16 March 1956 in Warsaw. The communist propaganda skillfully built a picture and mood of a great national mourning around this ceremony. The society, however, was divided in their opinions and moods when it comes to death of the leader of the country. Many people saw in Bierut the secretary of state and good host. A significant majority of people, however, expressed negative feelings towards the dead, through leaflets, captions on the walls, singing offensive songs addressed at him, raising glasses in a toast to his health, telling jokes or destroying the portraits of the dead. The reactions of the clergy to B. Bierut’s death were diversified. It is shown in publications below the report. On the one hand, priests sent condolence letters and individually paid condolence in the presidium of the city and county or national councils, and celebrated masses for B. Bierut’s soul. However, there were the cases of refusal to ring the bell during the funeral of the first secretary, expression of satisfaction and conclusion that the persecutor of church died, whereas the church alone still existed. The Faith Departments made a report on the attitude and clergy behaviours in particular voivodships. They constitute the basis of the following publication.

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