The Roman Catholic Church in Poland has for centuries occupied the central place in the country's social and political structures. Unlike most other European countries, in the last thirty years Poland has remained a strongly Roman Catholic society. The Church retains much of its influence on society, politics, and culture. If one recalls, however, that throughout the past three decades Poland has undergone dramatic changes in its economic and political structures as well as its geopolitical stance, the Church's stable prominence in the country's political and social life becomes something of an enigma. How can a staunchly conservative, millenia-old institution not only survive but thrive in a rapidly changing society? The book edited by Sabrina P. Ramet and Irena Borowik examines many dimensions of this enigma.

Had it been just an update on the latest developments of Church-State-Society relationships in postcommunist Poland, the book would be very helpful to all scholars interested in the modern political and social history of Poland. The book does this, and much more. The contributors not only present a wealth of empirical information, but channel it through the prism of a broadly sociological frame of reference. The comparative historical method also finds a place in the book. This is the approach of Sabrina P. Ramet, who contributed the introduction and the opening chapter, in describing the Roman Catholic Church in today's Poland as post-Julian (as opposed to Constantinian and Julian) to define its position vis-a-vis the state. The chapter specifically concentrates on the issues related to the Concordat between the Holy See and the Polish Republic, ratified in 1998.

The book is divided into two parts: “The politics of religion since 1989” and “Values and attitudes today.” A chapter by Irena Borowik, who also wrote the conclusion to the volume, opens the second part. The author uses the perspectives of sociology of religion, spanning almost a hundred years, from Émile Durkheim to Grace Davie and Linda Woodhead, to examine how the changing social values and religious attitudes in postcommunist Poland affect the Roman Catholic Church's relations with the state and society.

The book investigates the topics crucial for understanding of the changing place of the Roman Catholic Church in Poland. Of course, the enduring connection between national identity and Roman Catholicism is explored from various angles. Perhaps the most interesting aspect is discussed by Irena Borowik, who referred to a distinction made by the Polish sociologist Władysław Piwowarski 1989 between religiosity of the nation and religiosity of everyday life. As the former represents broadly- shared belief in basic Church dogma while the latter is applied selectively, allowing to pick and choose which religious commandments are to be followed and when, this dichotomy encapsulates both the contradictions between the Church and society and the modus vivendi whereby these contradictions can be mutually accommodated. For Poland, which only regained its independence a hundred years ago, after enduring more than a century of being partitioned between Russia, Prussia (later, Germany), and Austro-Hungary, the Roman Catholic Church still represents one of the very few embodiments of continuity, bridging the gap between the First and the Second Polish Republics. Thus, national identity supports religious commitment even when the latter is found not fully compatible with everyday life in a changing society.

The Church's position toward the EU is also discussed in more than one chapter. The issue is complicated by the fact that apparently for the Roman Catholic Church the EU question is rather nuanced and includes conflicting visions of the European Community before the Maastricht Treaty and the European Union afterwards. A certain dose of Euroscepticism is shared by the Church and some segments of the Polish electorate, an interesting dimension of interplay between the Polish national idea and the commitment to the Roman Catholic faith.

Not all Poles are Roman Catholics. Some Christian denominations, Orthodox and Uniate in particular, have been present in Poland for centuries. Others, such as various Evangelical Churches, are relatively recent arrivals. There are, of course, non-Christian believers as well. All these denominations exist in the shadow of the predominant Roman Catholic Church and are often obscured by its pre-eminence in Poland. The frequently overlooked topic of religious minorities in Poland is treated in a separate chapter.

One cannot study contemporary Polish Roman Catholicism without dealing with the Polish Pope, John Paul II, who came to personify a uniquely Polish brand of Roman Catholicism, inseparably intertwined with Polish national identity. His lasting influence on the Polish Roman Catholic Church's attitude to the issues ranging from the country's membership in the EU to the institution of marriage is dealt with in a separate chapter.

One chapter is fully devoted to the Radio Maryja, the radio station that since the 1990s has been shaping the national Polish brand of conservative populism. The station, founded by a Roman Catholic priest in 1991, revived the traditions of Polish National Democracy, a political current originated between the wars by the Polish politician Roman Dmowski. The main thrust of the movement is an essentially mono-ethnic Polish state. Radio Maryja not only promotes this vision, but also gives it strong Roman Catholic underpinnings. A synthesis of the national idea, conservative politics, and Roman Catholic religiosity remains at the center of the station's activity today.

In addition to the uniquely Polish issues of the relationship between Church and State, the book also introduces readers to the problems faced by the Roman Catholic Church throughout the world. These include the increasingly vocal calls for ordination of women, liberalization of the Church's conservative gender politics, recognition of same-sex marriage, and the general adaptation of the institutional culture of the Church to the rapidly changing cultural attitudes of society at large.

The book will help readers to understand the many dimensions of the relationships between Church, state, and society in post-communist Poland. It is an important addition to the field of east and central European studies.