The Issue of Autocephaly of the Polish Orthodox Church in the Early Years of the Cold War

Abstract

The question of the status of the Polish Orthodox Church had important political significance in the postwar years. The governments of the USSR and Poland were addressing the issue with great attention. The beginning of the Cold War strongly influenced the decision of granting autocephaly to the Polish Orthodox Church. The article describes how this foreign policy factor affected the communications of the Soviet and Polish officials in the matter of the autocephaly.