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The Transformation of Tygodnik Powszechny THE SARMATIAN REVIEW April 2017 absorb what already happened and belongs to The Transformation the past. The new epoch will reabsorb the values of Tygodnik Powszechny that are permanent; among them, Catholicism.” While Tygodnik’s editor Jerzy Turowicz differed considerably from Father Piwowarczyk, he too Roman Graczyk subscribed to the program described above. He wrote: “As we scrutinize the roots of the hen in March 1945 Kraków contemporary European crisis, we discover that Archbishop Adam Stefan Sapieha lay its deepest and most substantial cause was the W the groundwork for a new periodical abandonment of Christianity. This titled Tygodnik Powszechny (Universal Weekly), abandonment also meant the abandonment of the war front had not yet reached the Oder truth, and it was bound to lead to European River. The war was still going on, but it was disintegration and disunity. In the last decades already possible to speak in full voice of the before the war there were attempts to prevent the catastrophe that Adolf Hitler’s experiment had catastrophe by placing at the center of Europe’s brought to Central Europe––and, between the spiritual identity new and secular truths. But lines, how catastrophic was the ongoing Truth cannot be replaced. It can grow and experiment of Josef Stalin. The word develop and its understanding can deepen, but it “catastrophe” seems to accurately reflect the cannot be made subject to social engineering. state of mind of the thinking people at that time: New truths usually have little to do with Truth. only those who did little thinking could have The ruins of Europe now testify to the fact that assumed that one could shake off dirt and dust the attempts to engineer new truths failed and go on as if nothing unusual had happened. miserably.” Both Turowicz and Piwowarczyk After Katyń, Auschwitz, and the razing of agreed that theirs was a Catholic vision of the Warsaw the old world was thoroughly in ruin world, man, nation, and history; and that without not only physically but also, and primarily, such vision the task that they had undertaken spiritually. would be pointless. This is why Tygodnik’s subtitle, prominently displayed in the first and Tygodnik Powszechny’s founding fathers were subsequent issues read “A Catholic social and aware of this situation. They realized that the cultural periodical.” new Poland could not be a copy of the country that existed before September 1939––not only Until the first major confrontation with the because the Soviet-supported communists were communist authorities in 1948/49, the in power but also because the world needed a publication profile was mainly influenced by the new and stronger foundation, one that would not Rev. Piwowarczyk and his close collaborator crumble before adversity as the old one had Józef Maria Swięcicki. In early 1947 Swięcicki done. The founding fathers believed that wrote that “the Church is the trustee of Truth . Catholicism was the proper foundation for this and it cannot agree to place Error on the same new Poland. In the first issue Rev. Jan level as Truth. Thus the tolerance that the Piwowarczyk wrote: “Our attitude toward what Church advocates and supports is different from is happening can be expressed in two statements. the tolerance advanced by secularists. The First, the world, and Poland in it, not only have Church has in mind the tolerance of persons and to be rebuilt, but also restructured. And second, does not condone violating someone’s the Catholic Church has to play a particularly conscience but at the same time, it does not important role in this restructuring. Our task condone unlimited freedom of utterance and consists in . creating a new type of culture speculation, or propaganda of destructive that would accommodate such Western values as doctrines that poison human conscience. Its task the primacy of spirit over the material world, is to defend its members from infiltration of evil; liberation of the human person from the tyranny it therefore hopes and expects that the state will of conditions into which he/she was born, ethical approve the Church’s work in defending the meaning of life. The archives of history will souls of citizens from ignominous ideas.” 2079 January 2017 THE SARMATIAN REVIEW It is generally known that in subsequent years included Turowicz, Rev. Bardecki, Józefa Tygodnik abandoned this exclusively Catholic Hennelowa, Stefan Wilkanowicz, and Rev. understanding of truth. Beginning in 1949, Rev. Maliński. Some, including Turowicz, practiced Piwowarczyk and Józef Maria Swięcicki began what came to be called the ideas of Vatican II to play second fiddle in editorial decisions and long before they were proclaimed: Turowicz did were replaced by those professing Vatican II it in the prewar Odrodzenie and Mrs. Hennelowa views avant la lettre. After Vatican II (1962– in the Benedictine-sponsored youth movement 1965) these ideas entered the mainstream of in Wilno/Vilnius. Their pro-Vatican II attitude Catholic thought. But let us leave aside this shift was sincere and spontaneous, but it sometimes in the views of Tygodnik editors. What I want to led to conflicts with other currents in the Polish emphasize is that both groups of thinkers treated Church, including the one headed by Primate Catholicism very seriously, not only the Rev. Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński. Their understanding Piwowarczyk and his supporters, but also of the Church was somewhat different from that Turowicz and Stanisław Stomma with theirs: of Cardinal Wyszyński, but both they and he Antoni Gołubiew, Jerzy Zawieyski, Paweł kept the Church at the center of their activity. Jasienica, Rev. Andrzej Bardecki; the somewhat The Church was their home, and they wanted to younger generation of Jacek Woźniakowski, increase the spirit of community and respect for Tadeusz Żychiewicz, and Józefa Hennelowa; individuals in this home; they felt that these two and the group that joined the Tygodnik team issues were not given enough attention in pre- after October 1956: Stefan Wilkanowicz, Vatican II times. Althought they and Cardinal Mieczysław Pszon, Krzysztof Kozłowski, Wyszyński offered good arguments in suport of Bronisław Mamoń, Jerzy Kołątaj, Marek their views, this article is not the place to expand Skwarnicki, Jacek Susuł, Rev. Mieczysław on these arguments. The new Tygodnik people Maliński, and many others. All of them were of may not have been loved by the Primate, but the opinion that their Catholic credo was the key love of the Church was still their primary element of their engagement in public life. motive. Even though after 1956 the Tygodnik editors DEFENDING HUMAN RIGHTS made the momentuous decision to enter real At the turn of 1975/76 Tygodnik joined those politics, the Catholic foundation of the weekly who said “no” to the process of the further remained strong. However, attentive observers sovietization of Poland. This was to occur by could see a subtle shift. Tygodnik writers began changing several articles of the Constitution. to opine on political issues not “as Catholics,” The opposition to constitutional change was split but rather as those who took into consideration between Catholics and so-called revisionists. the point of view of “being Catholic.” The Among the latter the most prominent were the difference consisted in not claiming that they commandos of 1968 who in September 1976 represented the views of all Catholics or of the founded the Committee for the Defense of Church––hence, among others, their opposition Workers (KOR, later KSS KOR). Catholics to the formation of a Catholic party. In spite of were represented by the Clubs of the Catholic this shift, Tygodnik’s Catholic component Intelligentsia in Warsaw, Kraków, Wrocław, and remained strong. Its editors wrote and served as Toruń; the Poznań CCI did not participate. Even MPs or council members because being Catholic though communist authorities forced acceptance involved an obligation to get involved. of two constitutional amendments, the joint However, unlike their late 1940s predecessor KOR-KKI action paid off by consolidating Józef Maria Swięcicki, they did not proclaim the opposition forces. The CCI Catholics paid a necessity of acknowledging one Truth. They price: from that point on, they were not allowed still believed that Truth exists and that the to be candidates in parliamentary elections. shortest way to reach it was through the Catholic Owing to the fact that at this point communism Church, but they did not preach it. in Poland was in rapid decline, the price of not A good many members of the editorial board being allowed to run for parliament was not were enthusiastic about Vatican II. This group excessive. In fact, it soon became obvious that 2080 THE SARMATIAN REVIEW April 2017 CCI people, including the Tygodnik Powszechny emerged around 1949. In my opinion, the team, were playing a more prominent role in difference between then and now should not be society than when they were officially allowed described by such words as “change of means” to participate in the Sejm. John Paul II was or “change of rhetoric.” The proper word is elected Pope, there came Solidarność, and the “breakaway.” The process of separating TP from communist system was visibly crumbling. The its roots has been gradual and subdued, yet very names of Turowicz, Tadeusz Mazowiecki, real. Andrzej Wielowieyski, Pszon, and Kozłowski In the early 1980s when I began to work for gained weight in circles of the “alternative” (i.e., Tygodnik Powszechny, it was taken for granted noncommunist) Polish elite. that we all participated in Easter missions, Long before Vatican II, members of the penitentiary reflection being part of them. These Tygodnik team, with the exception of Father customs went hand in hand with what Tygodnik Piwowarczyk and his friends, proclaimed that was printing for its readers. Although TP was Catholic rights should flow from citizens’ rights not a devotional publication, it did describe the and that a situation should not arise in which world from a Catholic perspective, or at least Catholics were granted certain rights on an based itself on a Catholic inspiration.
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