THE DETERMINATION OF THE LEGAL STATUS OF THE GREEK-CATHOLIC CHURCH IN THE POLISH STATE (1919–1925)

Abstract

The scientific article covers the process of forming relations between the Greek Catholic Church and the Polish state since the accession of Eastern Galicia to Poland according to the decisions of the Paris Peace Conference on June 28, 1919 and the Council of Ambassadors of the Entente on March 15, 1923 until its adop­tion in 1925. Concordat between the Apostolic Capital and Poland, which regulated the state and legal status of the Catholic and Greek Catholic Churches in Poland. Attention was drawn to the state position of the Greek Catholic clergy, which supported the desire of Ukrainians for political, religious and personal freedom. The government’s crackdown on priests sharing the protest sentiment of the Ukrainian population was revealed. The article focuses on the diplomatic efforts of Metropolitan Andriy Sheptytskiy to lobby for Galicia’s autonomy in the international arena. It is emphasized that with the change of state affiliation of Eastern Galicia in relations with the authorities of the Polish state, the GCC was forced to move to a new legal and political plane. It is noted that the Concordat, signed in 1925, enshrined the legal status of the Holy See and the new model of church-state relations in the Second Commonwealth, which was to ensure the political loyalty of the hierarchy and clergy to the Polish state.

Keywords: Greek-Catholic Church, Poland, Legal Status, Concordate.