From the Pontifical Faculty of Theology in Krakow to the Pontifical University of John Paul II in Krakow. Part 1: 1954-1982

In 1954, arbitrarily and without consulting with the Catholic Church, the communist authorities transferred the Faculties of Theology of the Jagiellonian University and the University of Warsaw to a new university that they had created without a canonical mandate – the Academy of Catholic Theology in Warsaw. Instead of accepting the Polish communists’ unilateral decision, the Holy See transferred the rights of the Faculty of Theology in Krakow to the Archdiocesan Major Seminary, whose faculty eventually was given the right to have the adjective “Pontifical” in its title. Although it did not have authority from the state, it continued to offer post-secondary education and bestow academic titles upon its graduates. On the basis of this, Pope John Paul II, who as the Archbishop of Krakow was not only officially its great chancellor but also its promoter and special custodian, established the Pontifical Academy of Theology in 1981. This article presents the history of the Pontifical Faculty of Theology in 1954-1982. Its activity in later years as the Pontifical Academy of Theology, which in 2009 became the Pontifical University of John Paul II, will be presented in the second part of this text.