THE ISSUES OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH IN POLISH CONSTITUTIONS

Abstract

Summary: State-Church relations in Poland were marked by different intensity. Initially, the importance of the Church constantly increased, the evidenced of which was the Government Act. In the times of the Partitions, for obvious reasons, it was not possible to continue this work. Together with the regaining of independence, the work on the stabilization of state and  church relations started, the expression of which was the March Constitution of 1921, which referred to the constitutional tradition of the Republic of Nobles. An important act was to conclude the Concordat in 1925, between the Polish republic and the Holy See, which resulted in the establishment of a new administrative division of the Catholic Church in Poland, under the papal bull of 28 October 1925. The new socio-political reality in post-war Poland brings unilateral breaking of the Concordat in 1945 and the decree on the filling of clerical posts unilaterally issued by the State. The improvement in the situation of the Church did not happen after signing the agreement in 1950. Adopting the July Constitution in 1952, although it guaranteed the freedom of religion, turned out quite different in reality. Slight easing of the religious policy took place after 1956. However with time, Polish State returned to the old practices. A new phase in state-church relations occurred in 1989 when the Catholic Church was guaranteed by law the freedom on the religious and administrative plane. After establishing the diplomatic relations between Poland and the Vatican, there were negotiations on the Concordat, the text of which was adopted in 1993. For political reasons, its ratification was not until 1998. This fact was preceded by the adoption of the Constitution of the Polish Republic. Keywords: Catholic Church, The Republic, the Holy See, the Constitution, an agreement.