Browsing by Author "Krupa, Weronika"

This thesis approaches the topic of homophobia and anti-LGBT rhetoric in the official statements released by the Polish Roman Catholic Church and its officials. It undertakes an extensive study of propaganda and rhetoric analysis to visualise the propagandistic nature of the PRCC’s stance on the LGBT+ community. The core of this thesis examination is the 2020 “The Position of the Polish Bishops’ Conference” which addressed the matter of LGBT+ people in contrast with the religious dogma of the Polish Roman Catholic Church. The 27-page-long document is analysed based on various theoretical approaches, such as the model for propaganda analysis by Jowett & O’Donnell or the list of propaganda devices proposed by the Carolina K-12 group. These factors enable this thesis to determine the propagandistic character of the statement. Furthermore, this project utilises the theoretical approach to the study of homophobia in Poland by attaching the anti-LGBT language used by the PRCC to the theory of the East/West Divide presented by Agnès Chetaille. This paper follows the distinction between the Western and Eastern European stances on LGBT+ rights made by Chetaille and recognises the identity-forming role of homophobia in modern Poland. Through its examination of both the abovementioned theory and the extensive analysis of “The Position of the Polish Bishops’ Conference regarding LGBT+”, this thesis pictures various groups of propaganda devices visible in the statement and proves its propagandistic nature. Moreover, through the careful inspection of the other instances of PRCC officials utilising the aforementioned anti-LGBT+ rhetoric, and by connecting the homophobic propaganda displayed by the Church to Chetaille’s theory of the East/West Divide, this paper shows that through a top-down approach, homophobia enters both the public and private sphere of life in Poland, thus transforming the Polish identity and attaching it closely to ideals such as tradition, religion and heteronormativity