The Rebirth of Religious Life in the Soviet Socialist Republic of Ukraine in the Light of the Articles Published in „Tygodnik Powszechny” in the Years 1988-1991

Abstract

The period between late 1980s and early 1990s was a turning point for the majority of Central and Eastern European countries. The events initiated by Gorbachev's reforms affected Ukraine. They allowed the Ukrainian state to leave the Moscow's area of influence, and build its own subjectivity on the international stage and a system based, at least theoretically, on the democratic rule of law. These reforms fundamentally changed the position of the religious communities functioning there, including the Catholic Church. Breaking with the policy of atheization and the sovietization of society that had been in force for decades has initiated a spontaneous religious revival, which in turn led to the rebuilding of the structures of the Catholic Church. The news of the reviving religious life coming from across the Eastern border was heard in Poland, among others due to press articles, including the articles published in “Tygodnik Powszechny.” An analysis of the texts published in “Tygodnik Powszechny” in 1988-1991 shows that they provided a complete and up-to-date description of the changes that occurred in Ukraine at that time. The reader was informed about reforms across the whole country, including the change in the attitude of state authorities to matters related to religion, as well as about the successes of local Catholic communities, which, due to their great commitment, managed to regain a number of church buildings and rebuild the structures of individual parishes, despite limitations in their functionality. Unfortunately, the positive picture of the ongoing changes was tarnished by the conflicts with the Ukrainian state authorities, which had been growing since the beginning of the 1990s, and, what was worse, with the representatives of other religions. These conflicts, mainly concerning issues related to the return of religious buildings, were reflected in the articles published in Tygodnik Powszechny. Due to this, the reader could follow events related to the revival of religious life in Ukraine on an ongoing basis.