Powołanie samodzielnej jednostki kościelnej na terenie Wolnego Miasta Gdańska

Abstract

Interesting and eventful history of the city, situated at the banks of the Motlava river, is worth considering in the millennium year, also from religious point of view, which in the aspect of church administration, is connected with the Free City of Gdańsk. The aim of this article, where is presented the history of establishing, firstly the separate administration and then a diocese based on the law of exemption, will contribute to our better understanding of its history. Once in 1919 the Free City of Gdańsk was founded, on the strength of the article 102 of Versal Treaty, it included the area of approximately two thousand square kilometers. It took the areas which so far had belonged to two dioceses: Warmińska diocese and Chełmińska diocese. Soon after the Free City of Gdańsk had been established, there appeared problems about the further diocesal identification. Polish Catholics preferred to belong to Chełmińska diocese, as it had been so far. German Catholics were for joining Warmińska diocese, managed by German bishops. On 21st of April 1922, in order to soften the arguments, the Apostolic See by a decree Sanctisimus Dominus excluded the areas of the Free City of Gdańsk from the Warmińska and Chełmińska diocese, forming an apostolic administration. The Apostolic See appointed for its governor a bishop Edward O'Rourke, a former bishop of Ryga.