History

KIK was founded in Warsaw in October 1956, during the political "thaw". From the outset, it has been a community of lay Catholics who understand faith as a commitment to the Church, society and the wider world. The Club remains independent of state authorities,the Church hierarchy and political factions, while engaging in reflection on social and cultural life. 

KIK soon became one of the most important circles of Catholic intelligentsia in Poland. In 1958, the monthly journal Więź was established,   with Tadeusz Mazowiecki as its editor-in-chief.   Together with Tygodnik Powszechny and Znak, the Club helped create a space for civic debate that was rare in the realities of the Polish People’s Republic.

In 1962, an impulse from the Vatican permanently strengthened KIK’s identity. Second Vatican Council reinforced the Club’s culture of openness. It inspired publications, congresses and debates, as well as discussions  about  the direction of the Church’s development. The Council’s key ideas – ecumenism, the active  involvement of lay people  in the life of the Church, and engagement in dialogue with the contemporary world  – remain alive in the Club to this day.

Members of KIK took part in the negotiations of August 1980 as experts of the Inter-Enterprise Strike Committee in Gdańsk. During martial law, the Club was suspended, and many of its members were interned or operated within the underground structures of "Solidarity". Its continued existence was constantly under threat from the authorities.  Towards the end of the decade, the KIK community played an important role in the process of peaceful political transformation.

During the Round Table talks in 1989, twenty Club members were among the representatives of the opposition. It was a moment when years of reflection, dialogue and responsibility took on  historic significance.

In the new European reality, KIK strengthened its international presence,supporting democratic circles in Eastern Europe and running scholarship programmes. In 2004, Warsaw hosted the world congress of the Pax Romana movement, of which KIK has been a member since the 1970s. After losing its historic headquarters, the Club – thanks to remarkable mobilisation – built a new home on Freta Street, creating an independent space that remains the seat of the Warsaw KIK.

In 2006, on the occasion of its 50th anniversary, KIK received the TOTUS and Pro Publico Bono awards. The Club actively fulfils its mission by participating in social life and responding to contemporary crises.Its  activities are based on identified needs and thorough analysis.

Since 2021, the Club has provided humanitarian and legal assistance to refugees at the Polish–Belarusian border. It opened a Crisis Intervention Centre in Podlasie, runs the “Shop Without Borders”, and facilitates cooperation among various aid organisations. It  supports  people fleeing the war in Ukraine, co-creates the Warsaw Ukrainian School, operates  intervention points and provides  systemic assistance. It also  carries  out initiatives for those harmed within the Church and remains  actively engaged in discussions on change and renewal within the Catholic Church. The Gospel continues to guide its  actions.

The year 2026 marks 70 years of KIK’s activity. The  community now numbers several thousand people and continues to grow KIK  combines  today’s challenges with a long-standing tradition and enduring values. The history of the Club is not closed – it continues to be written by successive generations.