Діяльність греко-католицького духовенства Східної Галичини у 1918–1939 рр.

Abstract

This dissertation presents a comprehensive analysis of the activities of the Greek Catholic clergy in Eastern Galicia during the period from 1918 to 1939. The study systematises and characterises the current state of scientific research on the subject by domestic scholars and representatives of Ukrainian diaspora. The historiographical material is structured and analysed according to a problemchronological principle and divided into three groups: works by contemporaries, studies by diaspora scholars, and research by Ukrainian researchers of the period of independence of Ukraine. Despite the existence of thematically related studies that highlight certain aspects of the Greek Catholic Church’s life from 1918 to 1939, the scientific problem addressed in this dissertation has not yet received comprehensive coverage. The source base of the research consists of both unpublished and published documents and materials. By type, sources are categorised into four groups: archival collections and files (11 fonds and 86 cases were processed) which are housed in the Central State Historical Archives of Ukraine in Lviv, the State Archives of IvanoFrankivsk and Ternopil regions, and materials from the Department of Manuscripts of Vasyl Stefanyk National Scientific Library of Ukraine in Lviv; periodicals, especially from the period of the Polish Republic, and diaspora publications; recollections of direct participants and eyewitnesses of the events; materials published in documentary collections. Their analysis made it possible to trace the evolution of the legal framework of the GCC, the specifics of church-state relations, the material conditions of the clergy, and key areas of their social work during the interwar period. Published documents and materials of theological periodicals are also used. The research is based on the theoretical and methodological principles of the humanities. A wide range of general scientific methods was used to examine documents, collect and systematize empirical data, and analyse statistical information. Special scientific methods allowed for the chronological presentation of historical material, clarification of the conditions and directions of clerical activity in the context of church-state relations in the Republic of Poland, determination and comparison of methods used by the clergy to bring about positive changes in economic, educational, and cultural spheres, and tracing the paths of priestly personality formation within familial and social environments and professional orientation. Thus, it is demonstrated that the reviewed historiography, available sources, and selected methodological tools ensure the reliability of the scientific results. It was established that after World War I and the Polish-Soviet conflicts of 1918–1919 and 1920–1921, the Greek Catholic Church suffered significant material damage and personnel losses. As a result, only 63.3 % of Greek Catholic priests returned to their spiritual duties. Favourable conditions for church development appeared after the signing of the Concordat between the Holy See and the Republic of Poland in 1925. The legal framework of the GCC, despite certain dependencies of the clergy on administrative authorities (territorial restrictions on church activities, personnel decisions under control, financial dependence, etc.), contributed to the regulation of church-state relations and allowed for the restoration of religious communities and their property in the long term. During the interwar period, the Greek Catholic Church leadership established an administrative interaction system between clergy and higher church bodies that enabled clergy to participate in the governance and development of parish life. It also promoted career advancement, improved living conditions, and enhanced their community status. Parish clergy had the right to choose their place of service considering their financial and family situation. It is established that that the GCC had a clear administrative hierarchy during the interwar years: the head of the Church (Metropolitan), bishops (diocesan leaders), deans, and parish priests with clearly defined functions. Bishops convened diocesan synods, managed diocesan finances, and oversaw church institutions (seminaries, schools, brotherhoods, foundations, etc.). Deans regulated parish activity within their deaneries, organised synods and visitations, and reported financially to the metropolitan authority. The primary and largest category was parish clergy – pastors, administrators, and assistants – who provided pastoral care, managed property, and led cultural and educational initiatives. When the workload increased, assistants were appointed and provided with accommodation and monetary remuneration. The sources of parish income included: state subsidies, donations for religious services, and rent from church lands. Rent was formalised via contracts between the priest and the tenant. Income from the lease of erection lands was used solely for community religious needs. The Polish government’s land reform of the 1920s, which involved parcelling church property, did not cause major financial losses. Only 6,300 hectares of land were parcelled during 1925–1929. Beginning in the mid1930s, communal lands were exempt from land tax. Proceeds from land parcelling were used for farming development, support of public organisations, and culturaleducational projects. Parish Greek Catholic clergy were actively involved in the development of national banking and financial institutions, such as the Land Mortgage Bank, and played leading roles in various economic cooperatives, including «Centrobank», «Centrosoyuz», «Maslosoyuz», and «Narodna Torhivlia», which strengthened Ukrainian financial, economic, and agricultural literacy. Theological education in interwar Eastern Galicia was provided by five seminaries in Lviv, Rohatyn, Stanyslaviv, and Przemyśl, ensuring a high-quality training of parish clergy. The founding of the Theological Academy in Lviv in 1929 furthered the development of an educated clergy. Clergy participation in cultural and educational processes gained systemic character. Under the leadership of the Order of Saint Basil the Great and the Sisters Servants of Mary Immaculate, nurseries, schools, gymnasiums, vocational schools, and teacher seminaries were established. The charitable activities of the clergy during the interwar years focused on assisting orphans, widows, the unemployed, the elderly, and others in need. To address orphanhood, several care institutions were created and coordinated by diocesan committees. Parish clergy collaborated with organisations such as the Ukrainian Regional Society for the Protection of Children and Youth, Sheptytsky Orphan Protection Society, the Widows and Orphans Fund for Clergy, Diocesan Aid, and «Vlasna Dopomoga». The Ukrainian Committee for Assistance to the Unemployed and Poor operated a broad network in the Galician Metropolis, providing support to the unemployed, hungry, orphans, widows, and others in need. Residents of Eastern Galicia received free medical care at the Lviv «Narodna Lichnytsia». The policy of National Assimilation in the Republic of Poland activated the clergy’s cultural and educational mission as a means of preserving and developing Ukrainian identity, through their participation in the development of Ukrainian education, culture and the activities of educational organisations. They supported Ukrainian language education by initiating school plebiscites, founding private schools, organising literacy courses, and offering financial aid to talented students. Clergy promoted national and sociocultural values through local chapters of societies like «Ridna Shkola» and «Prosvita». Clergy combined religious service with teaching religion in schools and catechising children. They promoted spiritual and national unity by disseminating Catholic periodicals and religious literature. As part of the «Catholic Action», priests organised youth and children’s groups in parishes. This led to the creation and revitalisation of Christian associations, increased publication of religious literature, and expanded youth engagement.