Primate August Hlond

Thanks to a special mandate by the Holy See, Primate August Hlond found himself in an exceptional situation – he could found church provinces from the beginning. From August 1945, he could create apostolic administrations, temporary administrative units that functioned as dioceses. These operated until the 1970s, when Poland's western border was recognized by West Germany, and Pope Paul VI created a fixed church organization in the Western and Southern Territories.