Wiara i prawo. Sobór w Konstancji
Faith and law. The Council of Constance

Summary/Abstract: The author analyses and interprets the canons of the Council of Constance in the context of papal power and relations between pope jurisdiction and authority of the council. He also analyses mutual relations and dependences between papal and imperial powers. He focuses on getting to the correct theological and political mission of the papacy as seen through the prism of both (anti) Popes as well as in the context of the defense of the doctrine of the Church against heresies condemned at the Council. Therefore he looks at the whole council’s acquis in a broad historical and theological-philosophical context. The author notices, that the Church had to face completely new problems, which threaten not only its unity but also its exictence. Council of Constance, putting its above the papal authority and recognizing the source of its power as Jesus Christ, was the most important attempt of repairing the Church and bringing peace to it, which, although successful, it has caused significant changes in the perception of the papal service. Council introduces the concept of fairness, which is above the positive law, including the pope’s exercise authority. Council hasn’t left documents presenting a specific vision of papacy and the scope of the pope’s law, however analyst of Wyclif and Hus attests of a fact, that despite of an apparent influence of Conciliarism, Council accepted strong position and authority of the Pope. Although he had to follow the utility of solving current problems and accumulated pathologies of the institution of the papacy, concentrating its effords primarily on the ending of the schism, paramount remain for him categories of justice and truth, first of all compatibility with Gospel and deposit of Faith. The temptation of easy and only apparently effective solutions was overcome.

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