Academy of Freedom – episode 6

Michał Ożóg Ph.D, Chair of Polish Legal History on Faculty of Law and Administration of the Jagiellonian University

In the latest episode of the Academy of Freedom Michał Ożóg, Ph.D reflects on the subject of the limits of religious freedom in the Polish health care system. He emphasizes that the coronavirus epidemic affects both our everyday life and the implementation of the constitutional rights of human and civil liberties. He explains also the issues of guarantees and the implementation of the patient's freedom of religion during a pandemic, presenting the most important legal guarantees of the patient's religious freedom in Polish law. As a principle, according to the Constitution of the Republic of Poland religious freedom belongs to every citizen. The doctor points out that the right to pastoral care in Polish law has been guaranteed on many levels. A large part of legal acts regulates these issues, however, the legislative technique adopted by the Polish legislator raises some fundamental doubts. Summing up, the basic status of the patient should be regulated, as well as the individual dimension of religious freedom, and the regulation of the right to pastoral care should always comply with the constitutional standard.

Academy of Freedom – episode 5

Rev. professor Franciszek Longchamps de Berier, Faculty of Law and Administration JU
„Historical Development of the Idea of Religious Freedom from Ancient Times to the Present Day”

The idea of protecting religious freedom developed very slowly over the two subsequent millennia since antiquity. In the next chapter of Academy of Religious Freedom, entitled „Historical Development of the Idea of Religious Freedom from Ancient Times to the Present Day” we deal with topics from several ages ago – whether there was protection of religious freedom in the Roman Empire and what was it characterized by?
Rev. professor Franciszek Longchamps de Berier from Chair of Roman Law at Faculty of Law and Administration of the Jagiellonian University explains what specific conditions determined the methods of its implementation. He focuses also on how the emergence of Christianity influenced the development of the idea of religious freedom. He reflects furthermore on whether the Roman Empire distinguished between the secular sphere and the religious sphere of state activity. Back in the present day, he talks also about how we should separate these two spheres of action, if the citizen and the believer are the same subject – both of the religious and political covenant. He emphasizes also, while showing two different visions of the separation of Church and State, the exceptional importance of the 18th-century declarations of the French and American Revolutions for the protection of the right to religious freedom, which are a model for modern guarantees of the right to religious freedom.

Academy of Freedom – episode 4

The Maciej Duda, PhD.
Vandalism of sacred monuments. The legal and criminological aspects.

Taking into account the months of increased attacks on places of religious worship, their devastation and open profanation, we devote the latest episode of the Freedom Academy to the issue of vandalism of sacred monuments. Maciej Duda Ph.D from the Department of Criminology and Forensic Science at the Faculty of Law and Administration of the University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn discusses the legal and criminological aspects of this phenomenon. We invite you to watch and share your observations in the discussion on Laboratory of Religious Freedom Facebook and Twitter.

Academy of Freedom – episode 3

Sasa Horvat, PhD.
Anti-religious tendencies in Poland and Europe. A report on the situation in recent years and forecasts for the future.

The intensity of social aggression, intensification of religious persecution, more frequent desecration of places of religious worship and total intolerance, are exacerbated around the world. Overt discrimination on the basis of religion is already a common phenomenon. The research results conducted in this regard prove that this is an upward trend – therefore, which is the way to stop it while helping the victims? In the newest episode of the Academy of Freedom, entitled "Tendencje anty-religijne w Polsce i w Europie. Raport sytuacji w ostatnich latach i prognozy na przyszłość" ("Anti-religious tendencies in Poland and Europe. Report on the situation in recent years and forecasts for the future"), Sasa Horvat, PhD, from the University of Zagreb, predicts possible changes in the coming months regarding #WolnoscReligi, #WolnoscWyznania and #WolnoscSumienia.

Academy of Freedom – episode 2

Professor Tadeusz Jasudowicz Ph.D.
Religious freedom as a human right and social value

In the next episode of „Academy od Freedom” professor Tadeusz Jasudowicz Ph.D., a specialist in human rights and international law, considers the meaning of such terms as freedom of speech, freedom of conscience and freedom of religion. He reflects on the meaning of religious freedom as a fundamental human right and a social good. It explains the role of religion in the life of the community and why this law is undeniable. It also presents the historical process of its formulation, recalling the key legal acts for this process.

Academy of Freedom – episode 1

The first episode of the Academy of Freedom series is an introduction to the subject of religious freedom. The material was recorded and broadcast a few days before the celebration of the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief (August 22) and largely refers to the idea of ​​this Day. Our expert, Fr. Piotr Roszak PhD explains in it what Christianophobia is, why we can talk about a growing aversion towards believers and what is the value of faith and religious freedom in social life. Dr. Piotr Chrzczonowicz - a lawyer, lecturer at the Faculty of Law and Administration of the Nicolaus Copernicus University - discusses the legal aspects of protecting freedom of conscience and religion in Poland. Representatives of the Religious Freedom Laboratory, Kinga Boroch and Monika Pałka, talk about the goals and assumptions of the project, our activities in the media and this year's International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief celebrations.