Zasada niezależności państwa i związków wyznaniowych w prawie polskim – zagadnienia podstawowe w ujęciu krytycznym
The principle of independence of the state and religious associations in Polish law: Basic issues in critical terms

Summary/Abstract: The principle of independence of the state and the Church is one of the fundamental norms of religious relations in contemporary Poland. It is permanently embedded in the Polish legal system. It appears in the Constitution of the Republic of Poland of 1997 and in the Concordat of 1993. It was also expressed in the Act of 1989 on Guarantees of Freedom of Conscience and Religion and in individual denominational acts of 1989‒1997. On the other hand, this principle is contradicted by the denominational laws of 1928 and 1936. The principle of independence of the state and religious associations appears in Polish law together with the principle of autonomy and cooperation of these entities. Guaranteeing the principle of independence of the state and religious associations is especially the result of the negative experiences of the state’s denominational policy in the years 1944‒1989. In the field of juridization of the principle of independence of the state and the Church, there are clear similarities between the relevant provisions of the Constitution of the Republic of Poland and the Polish Concordat. Certain legislative standardization is also present in the denominational acts of 1989‒1997. Appropriate models were provided primarily by the Act of 1989 on the attitude of the State to the Catholic Church in the Republic of Poland. From 1989, the Polish legislator put emphasis primarily on guaranteeing the rights of religious communities towards the state. Paradoxically, among the religious associations with an individual statutory regulation from 1989‒1997, few, although the most far-reaching, restrictions on independence (self-government) in relations with the state were provided for the Catholic Church. However, the independence of the state from the Church was not sufficiently ensured.

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