Prawne aspekty honorowania i posługiwania się papieskimi orderami i odznaczeniami w Polsce
Legal aspects of honouring and using papal orders and decorations in Poland

Summary/Abstract: The goal of the article is to present the origin and the legal aspects of honouring, as well as awarding and using papal decorations in Poland. It analyses the legal regulations formed as a result of the reforms implemented by Pius X in 1905, Paul VI in 1966 and John Paul II in 1993. These regulations are compared with the established papal practice, international customs and Polish legislation. It is claimed that the present complicated honours system of the Holy See has undergone a profound evolution. The Author interprets the Polish constitutional and statutory provisions which make the receipt of papal decorations as foreign honours subject to prior consent of the President of the Republic of Poland. It has been shown that currently, contrary to the communist times, the Polish regulations recognize the papal honours system without any subjective, objective and functional exceptions and limitations. Political practice is also favourable to papal awards, which is reflected for example by the priority of papal decorations over those from other states. Finally, the article also enumerates the most important rules of using papal honours in Poland.

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