Religious Life in Poland

<p> This book provides a concise historical outline of religion in Poland up until its entry into the European Union in 2004 together with a longer presentation of contemporary religious issues. Albeit largely mono-ethnic and overwhelmingly Catholic after the loss of its large Jewish population to the Holocaust and subsequent post-World War II border shifts traces of an historic diversity remain in Poland to date playing a greater role than mere numbers would suggest. Poland's fairly robust religious life is affected by the country's continuing modernization and its various institutions and this is discussed within a broad context. One of the unfortunate legacies of decades of communism is a stunted civil society; while at different levels there are conflicts involving religion at the grassroots it is one of the few forces building much needed trust in present-day Polish society.</p>