Stalinizm - proces Kurii Krakowskiej (1953)

The 1953 trial of the Kraków Curia was a public trial of four

Roman Catholic Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *'' Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a lette ...

priests and three lay persons of the Kraków

Curia Curia (Latin plural curiae) in ancient Rome referred to one of the original groupings of the citizenry, eventually numbering 30, and later every Roman citizen was presumed to belong to one. While they originally likely had wider powers, they came ...

who were accused by the Communist authorities in the

People's Republic of Poland The Polish People's Republic ( pl, Polska Rzeczpospolita Ludowa, PRL) was a country in Central Europe that existed from 1947 to 1989 as the predecessor of the modern Republic of Poland. With a population of approximately 37.9 million nea ...

of subversion and spying for the United States.Kościół w Polsce po tzw. procesie kurii krakowskiej
''(Church in Poland following the so called Trial of the Kraków Curia)''. Photo-exhibit. ''

Institute of National Remembrance The Institute of National Remembrance – Commission for the Prosecution of Crimes against the Polish Nation ( pl, Instytut Pamięci Narodowej – Komisja Ścigania Zbrodni przeciwko Narodowi Polskiemu, abbreviated IPN) is a Polish state resea ...

,'' Poland. Retrieved from the

Internet Archive The Internet Archive is an American digital library with the stated mission of "universal access to all knowledge". It provides free public access to collections of digitized materials, including websites, software applications/games, music, ...

on February 15, 2013.Wielkie procesy pokazowe w Krakowie
. ''

Instytut Pamięci Narodowej The Institute of National Remembrance – Commission for the Prosecution of Crimes against the Polish Nation ( pl, Instytut Pamięci Narodowej – Komisja Ścigania Zbrodni przeciwko Narodowi Polskiemu, abbreviated IPN) is a Polish state resea ...

''. Kraków, 29 stycznia 2004 r. The staged trial, based on the Soviet

Moscow Trials The Moscow trials were a series of show trials held by the Soviet Union between 1936 and 1938 at the instigation of Joseph Stalin. They were nominally directed against "Trotskyists" and members of "Right Opposition" of the Communist Party of th ...

, was held before the Military District Court of

Kraków Kraków (), or Cracow, is the second-largest and one of the oldest cities in Poland. Situated on the Vistula River in Lesser Poland Voivodeship, the city dates back to the seventh century. Kraków was the official capital of Poland until 1596 ...

from 21-26 January 1953, at a public-event-hall of the Szadkowski Plant.1953 - W Krakowie rozpoczął się proces księży kurii krakowskiej
''

Dziennik Polski ''Dziennik Polski'' is a Polish newspaper. It was established in 1945 as a regional newspaper for Lesser Poland Lesser Poland, often known by its Polish name Małopolska ( la, Polonia Minor), is a historical region situated in southern a ...

'' The court, headed by Judge Mieczysław Widaj, announced its verdict on 27 January 1953, sentencing to death Józef Lelito, Michał Kowalik, and Edward Chachlica. The priests were stripped of all civil and constitutional rights,Plate 13:
"Wyrok w krakowskim procesie bandy szpiegów...

Photo-exhibit. ''

,'' Poland. Retrieved November 7, 2011 but the death penalties were never carried out. The remaining defendants were sentenced to sentences ranging from six years in prison to life (Franciszek Szymonek). The judgments were endorsed politically by a resolution of the Polish Writers Union in Kraków on 8 February 1953 that was signed by many prominent members. A series of similar trials followed.

Stalinist repression of Catholicism

The "war against religion", in which in the single year of 1950, a total of 123 Roman Catholic priests were thrown in jail,"Devil's Choice. High-ranking Communist Agents in the Polish Catholic Church"
By David Dastych, Canada Free Press (CFP), January 10, 2007. Retrieved from the ''

'' on November 8, 2011. became the responsibility of the

Ministry of Public Security of Poland The Ministry of Public Security ( pl, Ministerstwo Bezpieczeństwa Publicznego), commonly known as UB or later SB, was the secret police, intelligence and counter-espionage agency operating in the Polish People's Republic. From 1945 to 1954 it w ...

and its 5th Department created in July 1946 specifically for that purpose. Since the late 1940s, it was headed by interrogator

Julia Brystiger Julia Brystiger (née Prajs, born 25 November 1902, in Stryj – died 9 November 1975, in Warsaw) was a Polish communist activist and member of the security apparatus in Stalinist Poland. She was also known as ''Julia Brystygier'', ''Bristiger' ...

, who personally directed the operation to arrest and detain the Primate of Poland, Cardinal

Stefan Wyszyński Stefan Wyszyński (3 August 1901 – 28 May 1981) was a Polish prelate of the Catholic Church. He served as the bishop of Lublin from 1946 to 1948, archbishop of Warsaw and archbishop of Gniezno from 1948 to 1981. He was created a cardinal on ...

.Barbara Fijałkowska
RÓŻAŃSKI "LIBERAŁEM"
15 December 2002, Fundacja Orientacja ''abcnet''; see also: B. Fijałkowska, ''Borejsza i Różański. Przyczynek do dziejów stalinizmu w Polsce'', . The department specialized in the persecution and torture of Polish religious personalities. Brystygier, born to a Jewish family in Stryj (now Ukraine), dedicated herself to an ideological struggle against all forms of religion. Nicknamed ''Bloody Luna'' by the victims of her torture techniques, Brystygier was also responsible for the arrest of 2,000

Jehovah's Witnesses Jehovah's Witnesses is a millenarian restorationist Christian denomination with nontrinitarian beliefs distinct from mainstream Christianity. The group reports a worldwide membership of approximately 8.7 million adherents involved in ...

for their religious beliefs. The trial was a key element in the subsequent wave of repressions against the Church. First, on 9 February 1953, the communist government issued ''The decree on appointments of clergy to church positions'', assuming total control over the way in which positions in the Church were filled. A month later, on 8 March, the authorities stopped publication of the Catholic weekly ''

Tygodnik Powszechny ''Tygodnik Powszechny'' (, ''The Common Weekly'') is a Polish Roman Catholic weekly magazine, published in Kraków, which focuses on social, cultural and political issues. It was established in 1945 under the auspices of Cardinal Adam Stefan Sap ...

'' in reprisal for its alleged refusal to include a eulogy commemorating the death of

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secreta ...

. The magazine was taken over—until October 1956—by a pro-government secular group, ''

PAX Association The PAX Association () was a pro-communist Catholic organization created in 1947 in the People's Republic of Poland at the onset of the Stalinist period. The association published the ''Słowo Powszechne'' daily for almost fifty years between 19 ...

''. On 14 September, the communist apparatus launched a separate show trial of Bishop Czesław Kaczmarek, coupled with a series of the side ''trials'' of various "informants" sentenced to an average of 12–15 years. Kaczmarek, tortured in custody before being forced to sign a confession and admit his guilt, was sentenced to 12 years in prison on 22 September. On 25 September, Cardinal

was arrested. Three days later, on 28 September, a Catholic Bishops' Conference issued an official condemnation of sabotage against the state. In parallel, the Office of the Council of Ministers (Urząd Rady Ministrów) organized its own ceremony on 17 December, welcoming the ''government-approved'' Bishops, Diocesan administrators ( Vicar capitulars), and

Suffragans A suffragan bishop is a type of bishop in some Christian denominations. In the Anglican Communion, a suffragan bishop is a bishop who is subordinate to a metropolitan bishop or diocesan bishop (bishop ordinary) and so is not normally jurisdiction ...

Splinter trials

A wave of propaganda spin-offs called the "splinter trials" was launched against the people associated with the ''Rada Polityczna'' (Political Council) in Western Europe,Plate 13:
"Księża – agenci wywiadu amerykanskiego..." ''Priests – the agents of American intelligence...''. Photo-exhibit. ''

,'' Poland. Retrieved November 7, 2011 composed of members of the National Party active during World War II. All captives were accused of espionage, and sentenced to long prison terms.Filip Musiał
"Kulisy procesu Kurii krakowskiej”.
''Ośrodek Myśli Politycznej.'' Magiczny Krakow. Pierwodruk: Kulisy "Procesu Kurii krakowskiej", "Dziennik Polski", Fr. Józef Fudali who corresponded with former

NOW Now most commonly refers to the present time. Now, NOW, or The Now may also refer to: Organizations * Natal Organisation of Women, a South African women's organization * National Organization for Women, an American feminist organization * Now ...

partisan Jan Szponder, was sentenced by the court to 13 years in prison on 13 May 1953. He died two years later in unexplained circumstances during his detention, probably on 30 January 1955. Helena Budziaszek received 15 years in prison; Adam Kowalik was sentenced to 10 years, while his wife Stanisława (sister of Jan Szponder) received 5 years; Irena Haber was given 12 years. Piotr Kamieniarz received 15 years and his sons Andrzej and Józef received 12 years. Władysław Meus was given 12 years; Mieczysław Steczko got 15 years; and Tadeusz Mirota 12 years. All trials were highly publicised, with daily radio broadcasts,Plate 13:
"Komunistyczna propaganda." ''Church in Poland following the so called Trial of the Kraków Curia''. Photo-exhibit. ''

,'' Poland. Retrieved November 7, 2011 and articles in national newspapers by prominent writers, such as the full-page attack in support of the verdict, by Mrożek, comparing death-row priests to the degenerate SS-men and Ku Klux Klan.Proces Kurii Krakowskiej.
Article in Polish

written by Mrożek. Part of photo-exhibit in support of an IPN

seminar A seminar is a form of academic instruction, either at an academic institution or offered by a commercial or professional organization. It has the function of bringing together small groups for recurring meetings, focusing each time on some parti ...

. ''

''. Retrieved November 1, 2011. Due to wartime annihilation of Warsaw, a large number of Polish writers resided in Kraków in those years.

Polish Writers' Union resolution

The Polish Writers' Union gathering of 8 February 1953, in Kraków, produced a damning statement regarding the Trial of the Curia. The Resolution was signed by 53 members, some of whom went on to become leading figures in Polish literary circles, bestowed with medals and awards.Aleksander Małachowski
"Zapiski polityczne. Krakowska hańba."
''Tygodnik "Przegląd"'', 19/2003. The Kraków trial, on the one hand, was the culmination of the Stalinist anti-ecclesiastical offensive; on the other hand, it was also the highest point in an attack led by MBP against the Polish emigration circles. In December 1952, two major operations were concluded by the security forces: one against the remnants of the anti-communist underground, and the other, against its own political opponents.

Notes

Bibliography

* Czuchnowski, W. (2003)
''Blizna. Proces kurii krakowskiej 1953''
. Wydawnictwo: Znak. . * Grajewski, A. (February 17, 2006).
Duchowni i SB
. . ''Portal "Wiara.pl"''. {{History of the People's Republic of Poland 1953 in law 1953 in Poland Anti-communism in Poland Government ministries of Poland History of Catholicism in Poland Political and cultural purges Religion and politics Stalinism in Poland Trials in Poland Trials of political people

Stalinist repression of Catholicism

Splinter trials

Polish Writers' Union resolution

See also

Notes

Bibliography