Polarization but not Pillarization Catholicism and Social Change in Post-Transformation Poland

The recent role of Catholicism in the modern Polish society was outlined in the transition from Communism has been strongly and actively conditioned by collective agency. Religious ideas and beliefs, as components accumulated within traditional Polish culture, causally influenced the socio-cultural level of the society. Despite the policy pursued by the Polish People's Republic in the 1950s, 1960s and 1970s, which aimed at excluding the Church from society, subsequently, together with the Solidarity movement and the inspirational grassroots transformations of the 1980s, the Catholic Church has become a symbol of freedom and an inspiration for systemic change. This has greatly enhanced the historic bond between Catholicism and national identity and renewed the symbolic role of the Church in shaping the national community. The Church, in its basic function of evangelization, stood in defense of democracy and human rights, which meant the presence of the Catholic Church in the political sphere. Catholicism was allied with the struggle for freedom and national identity. The political role of Catholicism represent strong continuity with this agential force. My analysis concerns modern political and religious situation since 2010 when trust in Catholicism has started to decline and growing political confrontation has been shaping political landscape. I want to present that the relationship between religion and politics in Poland should be regarded in terms of agential influence rather than institutional aspect of power. My intention is to present that Catholicism in Poland should not be presented as political force but rather as agential complex of attitudes, values, identities rather than institutions and organizations which affect political life indirectly. It means that presenting the political role of Catholicism in terms of institutional power fails to grasp the specific situation in Poland. The purpose of my presentation is to analyze this new mode of social agency of religion in Poland. From such perspective, I will present that (1) Catholicism plays a critical political role by shaping social attitudes and values; (2) Catholicism shapes politics by promoting marriage and family values; (3) Catholicism contributes to politics by education and moral system which represent the unique universal moral system for the Polish society; (4) Catholicism penetrates social life through agency. (4) That is why despite strong political polarization in Poland there is no circumstances for ‘pillarization’ within Polish society. With such a background, I will suggest that the Covid-19 pandemics has stimulated for the process of deinstitutionalization of Polish Catholicism and empowering individual religious experience.