Suchergebnisse

Despite its numerical strength Polish Catholicism was unable to form a viable pol'al bloc before WWII: This seems to be due to the absence of a Polish Mc, & to the basic spirit of Polish individualism. Indeed, Polish Catholicism seems unable to command the total pol'al situation without the prop of dictatorship or a favorable historical milieu. 3 factors could have strengthened the Catholic Church after WWII: the elimination of other minority religious groups by the Nazis; the large pop shifts; the moral prestige attained by individual Catholics during the resistance period. With the setting up of a communist State in Poland, the ultimate aim of the authorities was inevitably the complete eradication of religion. However, at the beginning, the Marxist leadership tended to tread softly in religious matters. Instead of operating a frontal attack an attempt was made to push the Catholic hierarchy from its prominent position in nat'l life, by making it appear 'non-Polish' & 'foreign.' The State-Church relationship in Poland since 1944 has alternated between benevolence, tolerance & hostility, & more recently the Gomulka compromise of 'coexistence' & 'tolerance.' IPSA.

Compares the funding of religiously affiliated schools and nonprofit organizations in Great Britain and the US. Impact of strict separation of church and state for schools, but public support of social service agencies in the US, and public support of both schools and nonprofit agencies in Great Britain.

"...THAT MY BLOOD WILL BE THE SEED OF LIBERTY..." (OSCAR ARNULFO ROMERO) IN DECEMBER 1968 FATHER JOSE INOCENCIO ALAS, A YOUNG DIOCESAN PRIEST, WAS SENT BY HIS BISHOP, MONSENOR LUIS CHAVEZ Y GONZALEZ, TO THE PARISH OF SUCHITOTO THIRTY MILES NORTH OF SAN SALVADOR. ALAS HAD JUST SPENT SEVERAL MONTHS IN ECUADOR STUDYING HOW TO DEVELOP A PASTORAL PROGRAM THAT WOULD DIRECTLY INVOLVE HIS PARISHIONERS IN THE DAILY LIFE OF THE CHURCH. THE TECHNIQUE THAT ALAS FOCUSED ON WAS THE CREATION OF COMUNIDADES ECLESIALES DE BASE (CHRISTIAN BASE COMMUNITIES-CEBS). CEBS ARE SMALL, CLOSELY KNIT GROUPS WITHIN PARISHES THAT MEET REGULARLY FOR BIBLE STUDY AND OFTEN DEVELOP OTHER GOALS ACCORDING TO THE INTERESTS OF THE GROUP. WHEN ALAS ARRIVED IN SUCHITOTO, HE LOST NO TIME PUTTING HIS NEWLY ACQUIRED KNOWLEDGE INTO PRACTICE. WITHIN A FEW MONTHS THIRTY-TWO CEBS WERE FUNCTIONING. IN FEBRUARY 1969 ALAS BEGAN A TWO-MONTH COURSE IN WHICH THE CEBS DISCUSSED BIBLICAL THEMES AND THE FORM EACH CEB SHOULD TAKE. THE OBJECTIVE OF THE COURSE, ACCORDING TO ALAS, WAS "TO PREPARE THE PEOPLE, FOLLOWING MEDELLIN (THE LATIN AMERICAN CATHOLIC BISHOPS CONFERENCE, HELD IN MEDELLIN, COLOMBIA IN 1968) TO SUCCEED IN CONSTRUCTING THEIR OWN DENSITY." AT THE END OF THE COURSE THE CEBS ELECTED NINETEEN CAMPESINOS (PEASANTS) AS DELEGATES OF THE WORLD (LAY PREACHERS). THESE PEOPLE THEN RECEIVED ADDITIONAL TRAINING, INCLUDING A COURSE IN PUBLIC SPEAKING.