IN DEFENSE OF THE CROSS - ADAM DZIUROK, BOGUSŁAW TRACZ

The monograph "In Defense of the Cross" by Adam Dziurok and Bogusław Tracz is an in-depth study of the events that took place in Gliwice in 1960. Prepared on the sixtieth anniversary of the faithful's protests in defense of the cross at the Franciscan church, this book is a valuable source of knowledge about those times and people's attitudes.

• Detailed description of the events in Gliwice in 1960
• Analysis of the context of the political and social situation in the People's Republic of Poland
• Accounts of witnesses and participants in the protest
• Source documents, such as letters from parishioners and sentences
• History of the efforts to build a new church
• Description of repressions against protesters

The book consists of two main parts: descriptive and documentary. The narrative part opens with a chapter entitled "Contexts", which characterizes the policy of the party and state authorities towards the Catholic Church on a national scale and at the level of the Katowice Province at the turn of the 1950s and 1960s. The authors also present social, economic and religious issues in Gliwice, which allow us to understand the specificity of the functioning of the community of the Franciscan parish in the steel district.

The second part of the work shows the efforts of monks and parishioners to build a new church, the controversies related to the erection of the cross and the course of events during the action to remove it. The third chapter describes the repressive actions against the participants of the protest, the consequences of these events and the later efforts to build a new church. The source appendix contains documents of various nature, such as letters from parishioners, sentences and homilies, as well as accounts of witnesses or relatives of participants.

The authors hope that the book, published on the sixtieth anniversary of the events, will evoke memories and become an impulse for further research (including photographs) on the so-called Gliwice events. They also hope that there will be more witnesses of these events and new documents that will allow to supplement the material presented to you. This book is an important contribution to the history of the Catholic Church in Poland and the struggle for religious freedom in the times of the People's Republic of Poland. The publication is addressed to a wide audience interested in the latest history and issues of state-church relations.

"In Defense of the Cross" is not only a report on specific events, but also an attempt to understand their deeper meaning. The authors show how the defense of religious symbols became an expression of opposition to totalitarian power and the struggle to preserve national identity. This book will surely interest all those who want to better understand the history of Poland and the role of the Church in the struggle for freedom.