Kwestia 'ochrony' wolności sumienia i wyznania w toku prac nad kodyfikacją prawa karnego Polskiej Rzeczypospolitej Ludowej 1949-1969 ; The issue of 'protection' of freedom of conscience and religion in the course of work on codification of criminal law of the Polish People’s Republic 1949–1969

The paper presents the development of criminal law regulations regarding the protection of freedom of conscience and religion in the Polish People’s Republic in 1949–1969. The presented analysis shows the real intentions of these regulations. The communist party wanted to control religious associations in terms of their potential impact on public opinion. There is no doubt that the analyzed regulations were an expression of the struggle of the communist authorities with the only independent institution after 1944, which was the Catholic Church. The work also highlights the problem of the ostracism of people associated with the communist movement, which was undoubtedly present, especially after the threat of excommunication issued by the Vatican in July 1949. As a result of this, freedom of conscience and religion became a kind of „hostage” of the growing struggle for a new state system and the place of religious associations.