In the post-1815 Kingdom of Poland, which was part of the Russian Empire, the Polish Catholic clergy faced the problem of defining their attitude towards the Tsar. The fact that he was both the supreme civil magistrate (though of an Orthodox state) and the nefariouschief agent of Poland ’s partitions created a situation fraught with moral and political dilemmas. The ways in which they were tackled can be traced in contemporary sermons. As the pulpit remained an important opinion-makingin stitution, the analysis of political references and tone of the sermons can be expected to offer a valuable insight into the attitudes of the Polish society towards the Tsar. The image of the Russian monarchy in the Polish sermons was subject to considerable variations in the course of the 19th century. Yet our sources indicate that most of the clergy preferred passive resistance and kept politics away from the pulpit. They were encou raged to act like that by their bishops who kept stressing the catechetical priorities of preaching.