Celem artykułu jest określenie oddziaływania Kościoła katolickiego na system polityczny w Polsce odwołanie się do case study – form sprzeciwu Kościoła wobec legalizacji metody zapłodnienia pozaustrojowego in vitro. W nauce o polityce Kościół jest określany jako organizacja wyznaniowa, grupa interesu, aktor polityczny. Autor definiuje Kościół (jako) podmiot, który oddziałuje na system polityczny i jego otoczenie w formie bezpośredniej, pośredniej i sankcji moralnych. Biskupi katoliccy sprzeciwiali się regulacji in vitro, ingerując między innymi w przebieg procesu legislacyjnego. Świadczy to o doniosłym wpływie Kościoła w Polsce na sferę publiczną.

Pedophilia in the Catholic Church during the pontificates of Benedict XVI and Pope Francis

One of the main internal social problems with which the institution of the Catholic Church struggles over the last two pontificates is the occurrence of pedophilia in its ranks. The article analyzes the difference in the approach to the problem over the last two pontificates, and the studied scale of the phenomenon and the territorial scope allow undoubtedly giving this practice a global character. Based on the analyzes of pontificates, the picture of the problem of pedophilia in the Church clearly emerges as a legacy after many years of policy of covering this type of sexual abuse by church leaders. The disclosure of cases of sexual abuse committed by ministers in individual countries was the direct cause of the crisis of the local universal Churches during the pontificate of Benedict XVI and Pope Francis.

Artykuł przedstawia i analizuje nastawienie i działania prawne kolejnych władz francuskich wobec Kościoła katolickiego w okresie rządów Dyrektoriatu (1795–1799).

Problemy wiary i religii państwa świeckiego, ich wzajemnych relacji są w czasach chwiejącego się świata1 bardzo istotne i nie do przecenienia.
Należy szukać odpowiedzi jak pogodzić renesans religijności ze wzmożonym sekularyzmem w różnych krajach. Mówimy również o postsekularyzmie. Te ważkie zagadnienia determinują podziały polityczne w Polsce. Bez wspólnego dialogu, dążenia do konsensusu, odrzucenia fundamentalności możemy jako wspólnota polska przestać istnieć.
Grozi nam przejście od utopii do dystopii. Wszystko zależy od tego jak reagować na te wyzwania będą państwo i Kościół katolicki. Należy również odrzucić wszelkie fobie i nacjonalizm z szowinizmem narodowym.

Mniejszość katolicka we współczesnym Azerbejdżanie

This article outlines the history of Catholicism in present-day Azerbaijan and discusses the contemporary legal, statistical and social situation of this religion in mentioned country. In addition to the informations collected from printed and virtual sources, the data gathered during the interviews with representatives of state institutions as well as native Catholics living in Baku was also used.

Apostolic Nunciature without a nuncio in Czechoslovakia of the interwar period

The study deals with the period of the First Czechoslovak Republic (19181938), when the Apostolic Nunciature in Prague was vacant and represented only by chargé d‘affaires, who were in charge of the Vatican embassy. It goes into the details of the events of 1925-1928 and 1934-1935 to explain the reasons, specific situations and consequeces of the absence of the Apostolic Nuncios.

Towards normalization? Relations between the Roman Catholic Church and China People’s Republic after 1949

The article is concerned with the relations between the Catholic Church and the government of the People’s Republic of China. It starts with a short summary of the history of Christianity in China. Then it focuses on the analysis of changes of policies toward China on the part of the Holy See and their reception from Chinese authorities. It points out that the Vatican government consequently is making efforts in order to normalize the situation of Catholics in China and that it is ready to for a deep compromise with the Chinese government if necessary. In that context, the agreement between the Holy See and the Chinese government, which was prolonged on the 22nd of October 2020, is more understandable.

The issue of institutionalizing non-heteronormative unions arouses great controversy in Poland and has not yet been legally regulated in any form. The issue of institutionalizing same-sex unions is multifaceted and has an interdisciplinary character. The aim of the article is to analyze selected premises, both legal and ideological, related to the admissibility of institutionalizing the form of relationships of non-heteronormative people.

Emigration in the 20th century and the Catholic Church’s care for seasonal emigrants: the example of the Tarnów diocese in 1910–1913

The late 19th century witnessed increased migration from the Polish territory, including the then Galicia, Eastern Europe. The Catholic church played a special role in caring for young seasonal immigrants. Among the numerous forms and preventive measures was organising and conducting spiritual retreats for seasonal immigrants, including the Tarnów diocese.

Małżeństwo osób tej samej płci a Kościół katolicki: Europejska perspektywa porównawcza

Małżeństwa osób tej samej płci zostały uznane w wielu państwach, w tym w katolickich. Według Kościoła katolickiego szacunek dla osób homoseksualnych nie może prowadzić do zatwierdzenia legalizacji związków osób tej samej płci. Normy prawne w niektórych państwach mają na celu ochronę małżeństw heteroseksualnych, gdyż zrównanie związków homo- i heteroseksualnych oznaczałoby utratę podstawowych wartości należących do wspólnego dziedzictwa ludzkości. Stanowisko Kościoła nie jest monolityczne. Są zwolennicy, którzy opowiadają się za zmianą nauczania Kościoła na temat nierozerwalności małżeństwa czy akceptacji związków homoseksualnych. W artykule przedstawiono, w których państwach europejskich (ze szczególnym uwzględnieniem krajów katolickich) dopuszczalne są małżeństwa osób tej samej płci, ukazano związki między stanowiskiem Kościoła w sprawie takich związków a świeckimi systemami prawnymi. Istnieje ogromna rozbieżność w postawach wobec homoseksualizmu między katolickimi konserwatystami w Europie Zachodniej i Wschodniej. Konserwatyści katoliccy w Europie Zachodniej zrozumieli, że wolność seksualna jest kwestią bezdyskusyjną i nie powinna być mieszana w polityczne batalie o sprawy fundamentalne.

The present article provides an original typology of Polish parliamentary parties according to the religious criterion, i.e., the attitude towards the Catholic Church and its postulates (prohibition of abortion, legalising IVF and civil partnerships). The analysis covers the parties which have had at least 10 seats in the Sejm since 2001. First, the parties were classified according to the program criterion (membership in party families), then their views in the axiological sphere were analysed, and finally, the party typology was determined. The following types of parties were distinguished: quasi-religious, referring only to Christian values, axiologically moderate, secular.

The French Revolution towards the Catholic Church during the National Convention period (1792–1795)

The paper presents and analyzes the attitudes and subsequent legal actions of the French authorities against of the Catholic Church in institutionally separated period of the National Convention (1792–1795).

The French Revolution towards the Catholic Church during the National Constituent Assembly and the Legislative Assembly period (1789–1792)

The paper presents the situation of the Catholic Church in France before the revolution of 1789 and the key political environments that created opposition to the Church, and then analyzes the attitudes and subsequent legal actions of the French authorities against of the Catholic Church in institutionally separated periods of the National Constituent Assembly (1789–1791) and the Legislative Assembly (1791–1792).

Relations between the Third Republic of Poland and the Catholic Church remain one of the aspects of contemporary political rivalry. Political parties have specific postulates regarding this aspect of contemporary social reality, which, as a rule, are part of the relevant program documents. The proposals of individual political circles, apart from substantive issues, differ in terms of scope, degree of detail and possibility of implementation due to the non-compliance of possible changes with the relevant provisions of the Constitution of April 2, 1997, the Concordat between the Third Republic of Poland and the Holy See, statutory regulations concerning the matter of mutual relations between the state and the church, or various non-legal circumstances related primarily to specific social moods.

The participation of the Catholic Church in the systemic changes in Poland is unquestionable. The significant role of church hierarchs, middle- and lower-level pastors in accelerating the erosion of the communist dictatorship in Poland over the years, and especially in the last decade of the Polish People’s Republic, is unquestionable. Analogous processes of political, social, economic and cultural changes taking place in neighboring countries where Catholicism was the dominant religion were also stimulated to a large extent by representatives of the clergy. However, the issue of the importance of the Orthodox Church in the Soviet Union for the systemic changes at the end of the 1980s remains slightly more complicated. Therefore, the article compares two powerful Churches, Catholic and Orthodox, from the point of view of analogy and diff erences in the role, influence and importance of these institutions for the collapse of both authoritarian systems.