Through the use of three case studies—Poland, Croatia, and the Slovak Republic—Timothy Byrnes argues that the Catholic Church remains deeply involved in the central politics of this vital region over both governmental structure and public policy; deeply implicated (for better or worse) in the ethnic divisions that characterize the post-communist era; and profoundly part of the social fabric of virtually every state in East Central Europe.
Timothy A. Byrnes is a member of the Political Science Department at Colgate University. He is the author of Catholic Bishops in American Politics, and co-editor of Abortion Politics in American States and The Catholic Church and the Politics of Abortion.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1 Transnational Catholicism in Post-Communist East Central Europe Chapter 2 Transnational Church in a National Setting: The Case of Poland Chapter 3 The Catholic Church and Ethnic Conflict: The Case of the Hungarian Minorities Chapter 4 Pope John Paul II and the Power of Context: The Case of Croatia Chapter 5 Conclusion