Polish Bishops' Conference

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Secretariat building of the Polish Bishops' Conference in Warsaw
Entrance of the building

The Polish Bishops' Conference (KEP) ( pl .: K onferencja E piskopatu P olski , lat .: Conferentia Episcoporum Poloniae ) is in the Roman Catholic Church the “union of the bishops of all Polish dioceses for the study and promotion of common pastoral tasks mutual consultation, the necessary coordination of the church's work and the joint adoption of decisions as well as maintaining the connection to other bishops 'conferences . ”It is a legal entity under public law with its seat in Warsaw and a member of the Council of European Bishops' Conferences (CCEE) and the commission of the Bishops' Conferences of the European Community (COMECE).

Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki has been the chairman of the Polish Bishops' Conference since 2014 .

Composition and tasks

The Polish Bishops' Conference is based on the decree of the Second Vatican Council (1965) Christ Dominus (Art. 38) and was standardized in the new ecclesiastical code of 1983 (cc. 447–459 CIC). She is a member of the Council of European Bishops 'Conferences (CCEE) and of the Commission of Bishops' Conferences of the European Community (COMECE). It consists of the Primate Poloniae as honorary chairman among the Polish bishops, all Polish cardinals , archbishops and metropolitans , diocesan bishops , suffragan bishops , the bishops of the Polish Military Ordinariate , the Bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church , the titular bishops , auxiliary bishops , coadjutors , diocesan administrators as well as other members by order of the Holy See .

The former bishops are not members of the Bishops 'Conference unless they are still members of a commission, council or group and have been assigned a function in the Polish Bishops' Conference. At the plenary assembly, however, all former bishops are called in as an advisory body.

The task of the Polish Bishops 'Conference is the study and promotion of common pastoral tasks, mutual consultation, the necessary coordination of church work and the joint adoption of decisions, as well as maintaining links with other bishops' conferences . In this context, the new statute of the Polish Bishops' Conference came into force on October 7, 2009, which, among other things, limits the influence of the once overpowering Primate Poloniae , strengthens the position of the diocesan bishops and expanded the council of elders.

The organs of the Polish Bishops' Conference

Art. 3 of the Council Decree Christ Dominus “laid down the organs of the Bishops' Conference: the plenary assembly, the permanent council, the chairman and the episcopal commissions' to deal with questions of a specific area '. The highest body is the general assembly. "

The General Assembly

The supreme body of the Polish Bishops' Conference is the General Assembly of Members. It includes the diocesan bishops , the coadjutors , the diocesan administrators , the auxiliary bishops and the other titular bishops with special tasks. The heads of other Catholic rite churches under their own law are advisory members, the Apostolic Nuncio can participate if necessary. However, the nuncio only has an advisory or observational function and is not entitled to vote. The tasks of the General Assembly include, among other things, the election of the chairman and the other officials as well as the issuing of doctrinal statements and general decrees . "The Council decree 'Christ Dominus' of October 28, 1965 [...] defined in Art. 38, [...] that the resolutions are passed with 2/3 of the votes of those entitled to vote and how they become final (No. 4)."

The Permanent Council

Each of the Polish (arch) dioceses is represented in the permanent council by the diocesan bishop (or, if he is unable to do so, by his representative) with a seat and vote.

Chairperson

Stanisław Gądecki ,
Chairman of the Polish Bishops' Conference (since 2014)
Marek Jędraszewski ,
Deputy Chairman of the Polish Bishops' Conference (since 2014)
Artur Miziński ,
General Secretary of the Polish Bishops' Conference (since 2014)

The chairman, who must be a diocesan bishop , is elected by secret ballot with two thirds of the votes for six years, with re-election possible. He chairs the General Assembly and the Permanent Council and sets the agenda taking into account the requests received, with the committees once again deciding on the agenda at the beginning of their meeting. “He represents the Bishops' Conference externally”; he is bound by their resolutions.

In the media society, the chairman is not only asked about the resolutions passed, but must also take a position on many events and problems in cultural, political and social life, for which there are very often no direct specifications from the resolutions of the bishops' conference. This increases the responsibility and the position of the chairman, especially in society, but also has repercussions for his position in the church and in the bishops' conference. In this sense, contrary to all appearances, the office of chairman is structured relatively openly and rather modestly equipped, can be filled in very different ways - and can perhaps just develop a stronger effect than is prescribed in the statute. The chairman's area of ​​responsibility includes not only the management of the committees and external representation, but also the connection of the dioceses to one another, first in their own country, but finally also in terms of relations with the center of the universal Church in Rome, with the neighboring churches and in the whole World Church into it.

On March 12, 2014, the assembled bishops elected Archbishop Stanisław Gądecki as the new chairman of the Polish Bishops' Conference. His predecessors are:

Deputy President of the Polish Bishops' Conference:

General Secretaries of the Polish Bishops' Conference:

Deputy General Secretaries of the Polish Bishops' Conference:

The Episcopal Commissions

Additionally established episcopal commissions deal with questions of specific areas of church life. This includes the Commission for Doctrine of the Faith (Chairperson Andrzej Czaja ), for Catholic Education (Chairperson Marek Mendyk ), worship and the sacraments (Chairperson Adam Bałabuch ), for the clergy (Chairperson Stanisław Dziwisz ), for pastoral care (Chairman Stanisław Gądecki ), for missions (Chairman Jerzy Mazur ), for charitable issues (Chairman Jan Zając ), for institutes of consecrated life and for societies of apostolic life (Chairman Kazimierz Gurda ), of the bishops and highest religious (Chairman Artur Miziński ), Polonia and Poland abroad (Chairman Wiesław Lechowicz ) and the Audit Department (Chairman Wiktor Skworc ).

Bureau

The presidium is elected every five years by the archbishops and diocesan bishops in a secret ballot, most recently in 2014. It consists of the chairman, deputy Chairman and Secretary General of the Polish Bishops' Conference. It can give an opinion in public matters if the good of the church or the specific needs of the faithful so demand, but may not intervene against the council of elders. The Presidium introduces the candidates for the chairmen of the commissions, councils and working groups as well as the special representatives and state pastors. It also appoints the rectors of the Polish Catholic Missions, the rectors of the Polish Catholic Institutes subordinate to the Bishops 'Conference and elects the representatives of the Bishops' Conference externally.

Council of Elders

The council of elders is composed of the chairman of the bishops 'conference, his deputy, the Primate Poloniae , the archbishops of Cracow and Warsaw Stanisław Dziwisz and Kazimierz Nycz , the general secretary of the bishops' conference, six diocesan bishops and two auxiliary bishops for a period of five years a second term.

Its task is to prepare the meetings of the Permanent Council and the Council of Diocesan Bishops. He coordinates the work of the Bishops' Conferences and can give an opinion on public matters if the good of the Church or the specific needs of the faithful so require.

Council of Diocesan Bishops

The Council of Diocesan Bishops has existed since the public proclamation of the Statute of the Polish Bishops' Conference on October 7, 2009. Its competence includes the assessment, research and decision-making of the dioceses in legal matters of their boards, general pastoral duties and the clarification of administrative and financial questions. It is convened by the President of the Polish Bishops' Conference at least once a year.

Working groups

In addition to the bishops 'commissions, numerous working groups support the Polish Bishops' Conference, whose members are also chaplains and non-clergy.

Other organs of the Polish Bishops' Conference

history

The Polish bishops continue a long tradition of cooperation that has existed since the beginning of Polish church history, particularly visible after 1418, when the Polish Bishops' Conference was formed around the Archbishops of Gniezno and the Primate Poloniae . In the second half of the 18th century, the bishops of the Latin, United and Armenian rites began to hold conferences in the area of ​​the Rzeczpospolita to exchange experiences and opinions, as well as to coordinate pastoral work. In 1917, the Warsaw metropolitan, Archbishop Aleksander Kakowski , called the first, not yet official, meeting of bishops from the three occupied parts of Poland . The first General Assembly took place shortly after the re-establishment of Poland - in December 1918 - under the leadership of the Apostolic Visitator Achille Ratti, who later became Pope Pius XI. Over time, the structure of the Polish Bishops' Conference took shape, which only received institutional and legal authorization after the Second Vatican Council (1965).

literature

Web links

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Statute of the Polish Bishops' Conference ( Memento of the original of July 3, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / episkopat.pl
  2. ^ Decree CHRIST DOMINUS on the pastoral duty of the bishops . vatican.va. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
  3. ↑ Codex of Canon Law . vatican.va. Retrieved March 27, 2014.
  4. ↑ Statute of the Polish Bishops' Conference ( Memento of the original of July 3, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link has been inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / episkopat.pl
  5. ↑ ekai.pl : New Statute of the Polish Bishops' Conference (Polish) ( Memento of the original from January 18, 2015 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. Last accessed: June 14, 2015 @1@ 2Template: Webachiv / IABot / ekai.pl

Coordinates: 52 ° 14 '23.3 "  N , 20 ° 58' 58.8"  E