Decree on freedom of conscience and faith of 5 August 1949, as an example of clerical change in the Gorzów Church in the years 1949-1969: an outline of the problems

The release of the decree on the freedom of conscience and faith from 5 August 1949 was the consequence of the struggle between the communist government in Poland and the Catholic Church. A decree – in the hands of the officials of the time – was a tool used primarily to repress the faithful and the clergy. Extensive actions on the side of the communist authorities aimed to transform the country, with its deeply rooted Catholic traditions, into a lay state like the USSR. The decree announced on 5 August 1949 was in force until 1989, and, in 1969, its records were typed into Art. 192–198 of the Penal Code. From 1949 to 1956, violations of its rules were subject to draconian sanctions, although these were eased over time. This article presents the genesis of the decree and its reception in the Gorzów Church area, whose jurisdiction in the years 1945–1972 covered one-seventh of the area of post-war Poland. The author focused on analysing cases of repression of the Catholic clergy working in the Gorzów Church in the name of respecting the rules of the decree from 1949.