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Vol. 113 (2010): Our Past

Articles

Selected aspects of surveillance of the academic chaplaincy of St Anna in Warsaw by the Ministry of Security of the People's Republic of Poland (1945-1989)

  • Bartłomiej Noszczak
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52204/np.2010.113.135-183  [Google Scholar]
Published: 2010-06-30

Abstract

Surveillance of the academic pastoral ministry of St. Anna was, on the one hand, a consequence of centrally planned activities of the security services (the ministry, the department responsible for fighting the secular opposition and the Church). These actions were aimed at all university ministries. However, surveillance of the pastoral ministry of St. Anna was also the result of initiatives undertaken by elements of the capital's police apparatus. In both cases, pastors and members of the ministries were particularly active. The task of collecting information about Academic Chaplaincy rested with the spy services, which were particularly active in periods of increased tension between the state and the Church (e.g. during the conflict inspired by the authorities over the celebration of the millennium of the baptism of Poland) and during certain socio-political events (e.g. at the beginning of 1980s). In the light of the analyzed sources, the number of members of the Academic Ministry of St. Anna secretly cooperating with the intelligence service ranged from a dozen to several dozen people. Although there were few really valuable agents (usually two or three), their activities were generally very effective. The preserved documentation shows that this activity actually enabled the intelligence service to infiltrate the Warsaw pastoral ministry. Thanks to secret service collaborators, the internal and external forms of its activities were known, documentation regarding its members was collected, and attempts were made to learn about and neutralize the initiatives of the Academic Chaplaincy, which from the point of view of the authorities were considered dangerous to the interests of the state. During this period, spy services located within the Pastoral Ministry could influence some areas of its activities (e.g. theological seminaries, Diocesan University Pilgrimage in Warsaw) in order to eliminate any political overtones. The intelligence services applied to the Academic Ministry of St. Anna, a wide range of intimidation measures - from minor harassment to repression: the so-called preventive warning talks with academic chaplains and members of the Chaplaincy, summer and winter camps were canceled, various sanctions were applied to camp participants, meetings were canceled, participants of the Academic Chaplaincy were also made difficult to continue their studies, attempts were made to limit pilgrimage traffic led by the Chaplaincy, and chaplains and active members of the Chaplaincy were ridiculed , arrested and interned in various ways. Moreover, the possibility of a terrorist action by the independent group "D" from Department IV of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs could not be ruled out. In general, despite the efforts of the security services, cooperating public administration entities, student organizations and university authorities, surveillance of the Academic Chaplaincy of St. Anne never occurred after 1956 did not manage to destroy his activities or weaken young people's interest in this form of evangelization. Various acts of sabotage did not stop the development of the pastoral ministry, which gradually and systematically expanded the scope of its socio-religious activities. Every year it accepted new groups of students. The pastoral ministry was a vulnerable place for young people. ground for developing spirituality, deepening interests, shaping character and civic attitudes, and receiving spiritual and material support. In this respect, the militia's fight against the Academic Chaplaincy of St. Anne turned out to be ineffective.

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