The attitude of the Members of Parliament of the Legislative Sejm 1919-1922 towards the question of the clergy joining political activities

Abstract

This article presents the reaction from the MPs of the Legislative Sejm to the involvement of the clergy in political life.

Clergymen played a key role in the Legislative Sejm. They strove for a strong position of the Church in the state. Consequently those clergymen often incurred criticism of the parliamentary Left which accused them of playing politics and of being driven by particularistic interests. Frequently, the clergymen were forbidden to perform their priestly duties and they were deprived of their positions.

Some MPs demanded decisive action from the Ministry of Religious Denominations and Public Education, which was demonstrated by numerous interpellations. They believed that the Ministry should put an end to the practice of using religion and Catholic faith to achieve political goals which was also to be facilitated by a top-down ban imposed on all the clergymen. Such a ban would have made it impossible for the clergymen to deliver political speeches in churches.

According to MPs, Church was not to be a parliamentary conference room.

Those who expressed criticism held one common view − namely that religion and the Church should not be involved in a political fight.