Search Results (110)

This article addresses the issue of administering the Sacrament of the Anointing of the Sick without the recipient’s consent, analysing it from canonical, religious, and medical perspectives in Poland. It indicates that, in accordance with the canon law of the Roman Catholic Church, it is permissible to act on the basis of a presumed request, particularly in emergency situations. At the same time, the fundamental importance of freedom of conscience and the autonomy of the human will is emphasised, as these constitute a significant limitation on pastoral intervention and are protected under Polish civil law. In conclusion, the paper argues for the necessity of maintaining the principle of proportionality between concern for spiritual welfare and respect for individual rights. The study employs an analysis and synthesis of normative and jurisprudential material. The analysis is comprehensive and multifaceted, whilst the synthesis enables the organisation and consolidation of the findings. Full article

The Hungarian minority of Transylvania comprises four historically received denominations—Roman Catholic, Reformed, Unitarian, and Lutheran—whose institutional profiles differ markedly despite their shared function as carriers of minority cultural identity. Using the European Values Study 2017 Romanian Hungarian minority oversample (GESIS ZA7550; $N=1106$), this article presents the first regression-based analysis of intra-community denominational variation in religiosity in this dataset. Four binary logistic regression models test whether denomination independently predicts church attendance, confidence in church, subjective importance of religion, and self-described religiosity type (institutional versus personalised), net of sociodemographic controls. Catholics attend services significantly more frequently than Reformed members, while Reformed members express higher confidence in their church—a practice–trust reversal explicable by the distinction between canonical obligation and ethnic embeddedness. Subjective religious importance does not vary by denomination, consistent with an identity-protection mechanism operating uniformly across confessions. Denomination does not independently predict institutional versus personalised religiosity type once sociodemographic controls are applied, with age emerging as the dominant axis of variation on this dimension. The findings engage with Davie’s believing/belonging/behaving framework and the debate on whether denominational cleavage or the secular–religious divide constitutes the primary axis of religious differentiation in contemporary Europe. Full article

Drawing on the encyclical Laudato Si’ issued by Pope Francis in 2015, this paper sketches a Christian ecological spirituality for Chinese cultural contexts. The paper first examines the meaning of ecological spirituality, analyzing its deep biblical roots and subsequent theological implications. It then develops a contextual Christian ecological ethics by exploring the significance of Laudato Si’ for ecological spirituality in China in conversation with the cultural and philosophical resources of China. The paper argues that ecological spirituality is neither external to Christian ethics nor an ad hoc Christian response to ecological accusations and crises. Rather, ecological spirituality lies at the core of Christian faith and scripture, embodying a deep understanding of the organic and interconnected relationship between God, the natural world, and human beings. With deep Christian roots, ecological spirituality possesses abundant resources in the Bible, the Church Fathers, and the Eastern Orthodox and Roman Catholic traditions. The Christian doctrines of creation, trinity, incarnation, and eschatology, as well as Christian sacramental theology all demonstrate ecological dimensions. Thus, the Christian faith, as evidenced by the encyclical Laudato Si’, can respond decisively to the ethical challenges posed by contemporary ecological crises, especially in deep dialogue with local traditions such as the wisdom resources of China. Full article

This qualitative research examines the systemic dynamics of the abuse of consecrated women in the Loyola Community, analyzing the allegations against the influential sacral artist and theologian Marko Ivan Rupnik within broader scholarly debates on abuse in Catholic ecclesial contexts. Drawing on survivor testimonies, the study explores how clericalism and forms of spiritual authority were instrumentalized within this specific community to produce a sequential chain of harm encompassing sexual, psychological, and spiritual violence against consecrated women. The analysis demonstrates how vulnerance—the systemic capacity to produce harm—is engineered through institutional configurations and theological distortions. This condition normalizes exploitation and silences survivors over extended periods. Moving beyond individual pathology, the study critically examines systemic power asymmetries, hermeneutical injustice, and forms of institutional betrayal that emerge when the protection of religious reputation takes precedence over accountability and human dignity. Finally, the article highlights the significance of public testimony and digital movements such as #NunsToo in disrupting cultures of silence and contributing to the restoration of epistemic justice for survivors. Full article

In Catholic Eucharistic theology, an influential metanarrative claims that the Catholic Church mitigated its condemnation of Berengarius of Tours, frequently claiming St. Thomas Aquinas and the Council of Trent as evidence for such a mitigation. The authors of this metanarrative claim that Catholic teaching prohibits the “crass realism” of Christ being “physically” present in the Eucharist. This paper first argues that the authors of the metanarrative have misinterpreted their historical evidence, particularly regarding the entailments of Christ’s substantial presence in these sources. It then argues, on the strength of the encyclical Mysterium Fidei, that the semantic range of “physically” can cover the same meaning as “corporeally,” allowing Catholic theologians to say that Christ is physically present in the Eucharist, subject to the appropriate qualifications of the Ro-man Catechism and Mysterium Fidei about the non-local presence of Christ. Full article

This study examines how anti-gender actors represent themselves as legitimate participants in debates on equality politics. Drawing on Mouffe’s distinction between agonism and antagonism, we argue that anti-gender actors foster conflict and exclusion through “moral panic” and the “politics of fear” regarding the issues related to equality politics, while at the same time presenting themselves as neutral, rational, and pluralistic. This dual strategy allows them to insert themselves into democratic debate and present themselves as legitimate “adversaries” rather than “enemies” to those who genuinely advocate for equality politics. We contend that such efforts to simulate agonism are particularly evident in Slovenia, where anti-gender organisations operate as covert allies of the Roman Catholic Church. In a context where public trust in the Church is low and the separation of church and state is strongly valued, efforts to re-Catholicise society rely on secularised means. We argue that this renders strategies of simulating agonism and conforming to secular–democratic values especially salient in the Slovenian context. To identify these strategies, we conducted semi-structured interviews with Slovenian anti-gender actors. Our analysis revealed four interrelated tactics: “self-victimisation”, portraying themselves as excluded and marginalised; “call for dialogue,” stressing a purported willingness to engage with opponents; “depoliticisation”, framing their role as neutral and non-ideological; and “claim of public support”, invoking a “silenced majority” allegedly constrained by a prevailing climate of “leftist” fear and censorship. The significance of this study lies in the fact that, despite extensive scholarly work on anti-gender mobilisations, analyses drawing on interviews with anti-gender actors themselves remain rare. Full article

During the parliamentary elections in Italy after World War II, rumours spread in the public sphere about the occurrence of “miracles.” These “miracles” were interpreted as warning messages from the divine about the danger posed by the Communist Party. This was considered part of a strategy to promote Christian Democrats by representatives of the Catholic Church and was viewed with concern by communist countries in Eastern Europe as the phenomenon began to spread. In the second half of 1948, the Romanian authorities initiated measures to abolish the Greek Catholic Church and persecute the Roman Catholic Church. In this context, rumours spread in Catholic circles about “miracles” intended to stimulate the resistance of believers in the face of persecution. The phenomenon of “miracles” also spread among Orthodox believers, who were dissatisfied with the elimination of religious education in schools and the beginning of the collectivization of agriculture. For this reason, this phenomenon was considered a danger by the communist authorities in Romania. In this study, we aim to examine how the authorities dealt with the issue of “miracles,” what measures were taken, which institutions were involved, and what the consequences were for long-term religious policy in communist Romania. Full article

After the end of the Second World War, Hungary, like other war-torn countries, was left with countless orphaned children. The collapsed state structures were unable to care for them, so only various private or church initiatives—such as Gaudopolis, a children’s home set up by the Lutheran pastor Gábor Szehló—provided a means of survival. However, in East-Central Europe—including Hungary, Poland and Romania—where the Soviet Union had a sphere of influence, the emerging Soviet-style system was aimed at the political re-education of society. Ideological goals categorically excluded the possibility of churches being involved in the care and education of youth beyond the existing legal framework. Any person who engaged in such activities was cracked down upon. This study examines the role and responsibility of church persons in the care and upbringing of orphaned children through the fate of the Roman Catholic priest István Regőczi. In the decades of communist dictatorship, István Regőczi repeatedly reorganised orphanages, where he carried out youth education activities based on principles similar to scouting. The values he imparted to the children—such as the Christian religion, family protection, mutual help and social solidarity—were all values of Christian socialism. However, the communist dictatorship—promoting its own political ideology, Marxism—sought to take control of the upbringing and education of children by nationalising all institutions involved in this activity. Anyone who resisted this—as István Regőczi did—was made impossible in the people’s democracy of the 1950s and 1960s, and his child-saving, educating and teaching activities were prevented, even if the courts sentenced him to longer or shorter prison sentences for the crimes of illegal youth organisation, incitement and the abuse of freedom of association. This study, comparing what is described in István Regőczi’s memoirs with the surviving archival sources, shows how during these terrible decades it was possible to save orphaned, needy children and raise them in a Christian spirit, even against the will of the authorities. Full article

In the past hundred years, three pontiffs have written apostolic letters to commemorate anniversaries relating to Dante: in 1921, Benedict XV marked the sixth centenary of the death of the great poet; in 1965, Paul VI judged it opportune to write on the occasion of the seventh centenary of his birth; and in 2021, Pope Francis added his voice to the numerous others wishing to honour the memory of the supreme Florentine poet on the seventh centenary of his death. Each letter is a product of its time: one hundred years ago, the Pope—still confined within the Vatican and refusing to recognise the Kingdom of Italy due to the Roman Question—addressed his text “to the beloved sons, professors and pupils of literary institutes and centres of higher learning within the Catholic world”; Paul VI, in full accord with the spirit of the Second Vatican Council and its vision of a Church seeking collaboration with the world, addressed his writing to Dante scholars more broadly, and within the same letter, together with other academic authorities, established the Chair of Dante Studies at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart in Milan; Pope Francis today, in his outward-facing style of evangelisation, challenges everyone to (re)read Dante, whose teaching remains relevant seven hundred years after his death. Despite the differing political contexts and ecclesial agendas, Benedict XV, Paul VI, and Pope Francis are united on one point: Dante is a Christian poet—critical of the Church, certainly, but loyal to his faith and desirous of a religious institution that is more serious and less corrupt. This brief study presents the homage which the Church, today, seven centuries later, renders to this Poet—now widely recognised as a passionate witness of an arduous and active faith, in pursuit of justice and freedom. Full article

This article aims to provide an account of the political thought of Archbishop John Carroll on the topic of religious liberty as a core principle of the American founding. It examines the relationship of Church and State through the lens of a developing self-understanding in the American and Roman Catholic identities. American Catholic colonists were accused of having a divided allegiance that made them dangerous to the social compact, divided between papal authority and the authority of the republic. Further, the place of the Catholic Church in a more pluralistic religious landscape following the Reformation demanded a reexamination of the traditional Catholic teaching on religious liberty. One man in particular stands out as a seminal figure in the development of a rapprochement between the American liberal understanding of religious liberty and that of the Catholic tradition. This man was Archbishop John Carroll, the first Roman Catholic Bishop in America. Carroll’s theoretical and practical approach to the highly contentious issue of religious liberty is a noteworthy example of simultaneous commitment to the Catholic faith and responsiveness to the exigencies of the moment and the perennial demands of political life. Carroll’s example is useful for Catholics and all others, as a model for Church–State separation. Full article

This study examines, within the broader context of historical and cultural influences from Byzantine and Western canonical traditions, the canonical and theological treatment of physical disabilities as impediments to the priesthood within modern Orthodox Canon Law. It shows how traditional Orthodox Canon Law, particularly influenced by medieval Roman Catholic canonical understanding, has historically emphasised physical integrity as a requirement for ordination. The study critically examines historical and contemporary canonical attitudes towards candidates with hearing, speech, or visual impairments or with locomotor disability through the analysis of Apostolic canons, Canons of Ecumenical Councils, and later canonical sources. The methods include a critical canonical and historical analysis of primary sources such as the Canons, patristic writings, and synodal legislation, with particular reference to the initiatives of the Romanian Orthodox Church in the modern cultural and pastoral context. The study observes that, although such impairments continue to be recognised as canonical impediments according to traditional Orthodox law, contemporary ecclesial practice increasingly reflects a pastoral sensitivity that allows, in certain contexts, for the inclusion of persons with disabilities in ordained ministry. This is typically achieved through adaptations that preserve the integrity of liturgical function, such as assistance from co-ministers or specialised training. These developments, while not amounting to a formal canonical revision, signal a broader pastoral and ecclesiological openness toward the integration of persons with disabilities within the life of the Church. Full article

The liturgy of the Catholic Church adopts and reframes passages from Scripture in manifold ways. At times a passage is proclaimed or sung in the liturgy exactly as it appears in the Bible; at other times, a prayer or antiphon draws from one or more verses of the Scripture for inspiration. In order to demonstrate this twofold practice, this article presents a single example of a random day on the liturgical calendar, the Second Sunday of Lent. It will explore the uses of Scripture in the revised entrance and communion antiphons, the restoration of long-neglected ancient presidential prayers, the composition of a new collect and preface, the three-year cycle of readings, and the intersection of biblical references between the Roman Missal and the Liturgy of the Hours. By examining a single example, the reader will come to a deeper appreciation of the depth of the interplay between the Bible and liturgy on every day of the calendar. This article will cite the present and previous Roman Missals, the Roman Gradual, the context for the structure of the Lectionary for Mass on this day as the revisers conceived it, and unique features from the Liturgy of the Hours. It will also show how particular biblical references on one day reappear in other liturgical celebrations, expanding the reader’s appreciation of the specific application of biblical texts to a variety of liturgical events. Full article

The Church of Christ is unity in diversity. Around the great centers of diffusion, the rites have been gradually defined as “the liturgical, theological, spiritual and disciplinary patrimony, culture and circumstances of the history of a distinct people, by which its own manner of living the faith is manifested” (Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches can. 28 § 1). At the same time, the necessity of the existence of the sacred ministry for the celebration of the Eucharist and the Sacraments is the basis for the establishment of the hierarchy of bishoprics that are formed ontogenetically and diachronically around the primary diffusion center, recognized as the Mother Church or, starting from the IVth–Vth centuries, as the Patriarchates. The tensions between dissident factions culminated in the Ecclesiastical Schism of 1054, which separated Eastern Christianity from the Roman Church. The restoration of the unity of the Constantinopolitan Churches of Central and Eastern Europe began with the Union of Brest–Litovsk (1595–1596), which generated a process of gradual entry of the territories of the Eastern Churches into unity, in 1700 reaching Transylvania. The Greek Catholic Churches fought a pioneering struggle in asserting their own traditions in order to restore the unity of the Church. The Eastern churches that re-entered the unity of the Catholic Church faced a change of ecclesiological paradigm, being in a permanent struggle to preserve their own specificity and to affirm the unity. The signatories of the Union Acts rejected “the Uniatism” from the beginning, a fact accepted today within the theological dialogue between the Catholic Church and the Orthodox Churches, the canonical evolution and the treatises of Greek–Catholic theology being the result of a process of experimentation “from within” of unity and catholicity in the context of the modern and contemporary era. The United Churches have paved the way for the restoration of unity between East and West, being obligated to grasp different forms of canonical manifestation of unity in the absence of a Patriarchate in communion with the Church of Rome, during which they offer a reflection that fully grows through a theology of restoring the unity of the Church, benefiting today from the ecclesiological paradigm shift of Vatican II and by the conceptual tools provided by the traditions and the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches. Full article

The Second Vatican Council and its Decree Orientalium Ecclesiarum played a significant role in the life of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. Vatican II became a moment of unity as all the Ukrainian Greek Catholic bishops, including the newly released from exile Josyf Slipyj, gathered in Rome. The bishops had the unique opportunity to form a synod of bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. This synod would help to unite the UGCC faithful scattered around the world into one ecclesial structure and preserve their Eastern Catholic identity in the diaspora. The laity, theologians, and most bishops were in favor of convening the UGCC synod of bishops. However, many challenges arose after the council, as the Vatican Curia did not allow the Ukrainian bishops to form a synod. The decree Orientalium Ecclesiarum brought a new perspective to the understanding of the Eastern Catholic Churches and their ecclesiology. The decree was actively used in UGCC discussions to support the convocation of a UGCC synod. Unfortunately, the Vatican did not confirm the legal character of the document, and its canonical power with respect to the UGCC synod was questioned. This paper will analyze the discussions and argumentation of the Ukrainian patriarchal lay movement, theologian Victor Pospishil, bishops, the Roman Curia, and their role in the convocation of the UGCC synod in 1980. Full article

It is important to underline that the history of Canon Law has a specific significance, even considering the methodological opportunity to find and to reconsider documents, periods, and personalities in order to modify and to enhance already acquired hermeneutical data. A partially unexplored hypothesis, however, consists in the peculiar attitude of Canon Law in approaching themes coming from the current configuration of legal relationships because the ecclesial paradigm has represented a primary framework, not only in Western societies, for Christian cultures and a not necessarily hostile and antithetical model to the others. By selecting a restrained amount of critical case studies, this essay will consider juridical institutes related to the legitimacy of public authorities, the legal protection of dissent (but on the basis of limited circumstances), the Private law possibility to realize human interests in a pacific, mutual, contractual way. Full article