Piety and Counter-Reformation in the Catholic Church of the Third Polish Republic

According to Obirek, Catholic piety, the principal determinant of Polish national identity, is "an unrepresented world" at present both in the cultural sphere and in critical discourses. We are faced with a lack of suitable categories and concepts to name the profound changes that have marked Polish consciousness in the era of globalization. Obirek demonstrates on the one hand the historical rootedness of contemporary religious behaviours, and on the other hand he points out alternative behaviours. During the Second Vatican Council (1962-1965) the Catholic Church made a quantum leap and resulted in a Copernican revolution in Catholic theology. Its main legacy is to have effected a transition from traditional theological exclusiveness towards moderate pluralism; different paths towards God were recognized as equivalent.