Embedded Files
"The Pope's Visit to Poland"
"The Pope's Visit to Poland"
This source (from issue no. 73 of the Keston News Service) details the arrival of newly-elected Pope John Paul II, a native-born Pole, on his first visit to Poland after his election. It details both the immense Polish excitement for this visit, as well as the Soviet clampdown (via influencing local Polish authorities) on large scale events, indicating both a surge in Polish national identity and Soviet fear of that surge. The article goes on to note how, "It is feared that this pressure being exerted by the authorities may provoke an unmanageable situation". By pressuring Polish authorities to reduce and control the events of the new pope's visit, the larger Soviet government demonstrated its fear of a resurgence of national identities in bloc countries.
Pope John Paul II Visiting Auschwitz, Poland
Pope John Paul II Visiting Auschwitz, Poland
This image from 1979 shows the massive crowd that gathered when Pope John Paul II visits a former concentration camp in Poland, theoretically a sacred and mournful space. While the crowds do not inherently diminish the impact and history of Auschwitz, their primary purpose in gathering was to witness the new pope, not visit the concentration camp. This image therefore fully demonstrates the reverence the Polish have for both John Paul II and their commitment to their Catholic identity.
Pope John Paul II on His Third Trip to Poland
Pope John Paul II on His Third Trip to Poland
This image from 1987 shows the mass crowds that still gathered in Poland to see John Paul II on his third visit, almost a decade after his election. Not only does it show the depth and lasting effect of Catholicism on Polish national identity, but it also shows declining Soviet influence to stop or moderate its spread. The decay of both the Soviet regime and the influence of the Warsaw Pact combined with John Paul II's growing influence to enlarge crowds of Polish onlookers and well-wishers, demonstrating the heights of Polish Catholicism.
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