The Polish Language in the Churches in Byelorussia and the Ukraine

Abstract

The author shows the historical and political conditions in which the changes concerning the language used in the Catholic churches of the Latin rite in Byelorussia and the Ukraine occurred. During the partitions of Poland in the Russian section there were no Polish institutions or schools. The Polish language was publicly used only in churches. The same situation repeated after World War Two. That is why this language became in the churches not only a means of the communication of religious values among the believing people, but also the most important and practically the only sign of the national identity of Poles. After Vatican Council II it became possible to use vernacular languages in the liturgy. In view of the fact that younger generations lost their Polish language, and sometimes there were in the Catholic churches only such nationalities which did not understand the Polish language, there was a need to introduce into the liturgy and paraliturgy other languages: Russian, Byelorussian and Ukrainian. Their introduction, in a way, became a historical breakthrough in this domain. This was mainly due to the priests who arrived in these territories from Poland. At present the national tendencies, which seek to take advantage of the Catholic churches to make the Catholic people (in spite of their strong identification with Polishness) Byelorussian and Ukrainian, have ever more influence on these changes than real pastoral needs. Such tendencies become at times a sources of some tensions and conflicts.