Reakcje społeczeństwa województwa pilskiego na przebieg drugiej pielgrzymki Jana Pawła II do ojczyzny (16-23 czerwca 1983 r.) w świetle teleksów KW PZPR w Pile

Abstract

In the period of the Polish People’s Republic, the pilgrimages of Pope John Paul II to his homeland exerted a great influence on the contemporary socio-political situation in the country, especially in the activation of opposition groups. The Pope’s second visit to Poland on 16th-23rd June, 1983 took place amid the martial law introduced by the government on 13th December, 1981. It was expected with high hopes by the Polish society, enslaved and humiliated by the communist rule. This study portrays the reactions of the Pila Voivodeship community to the pilgrimage of the Holy Father to his homeland as they were presented in the contemporary analyzes of the Provincial Committee of the Polish United Workers’ Party. Those analyses were sent during the Pope’s visit to the Central Committee of the Communist Party in Warsaw. The study constitutes a regional contribution to the historical synthetic reflection on this extremely important event in the last decade of the Polish People’s Republic period.