Jan Daniel SZCZUREK, Cracow (Poland), Europe

Transcription

1 Jan Daniel SZCZUREK, Cracow (Poland), Europe Theology, Religious Studies and Religious Sciences in Poland (and some other post-communist countries) after the collapse of Marxism (the state of affairs) Among the European countries dominated by the anti-religious ideology of Marxism and Leninism, Poland holds an unique position, having managed to defend relative freedom of the Roman Catholic Church. Despite the declared separation of Church and State, the atheistic state authorities kept trying to subdue the Catholic Church by means of restrictive legislation and invigilation. This manifested itself in liquidation of theological faculties at public universities in 1954 and establishment of a public institution of higher education which was to provide theological studies under the control of the Communist regime. Thus, without the permission of the Holy See, the Academy of Catholic Theology (ATK) was called into being. Of course, the Church did not accept it. Those were the times of the most intense Stalinist terror in Poland and of imprisonment of Primate Card. Stefan Wyszyński ( ). After the regime became less severe and the Primate was released, the atheist public authorities acquired recognition for the Academy from the Holy See (1960), but they did not care about its development and they did not allow for an unrestricted admission of students (they applied the so called numerus clausus). They sustained the Academy mainly for propaganda reasons - to put on a show of it that they cared about the Roman Catholic Church. In this situation, diocesan bishops organized their own seminaries offering theological studies, which were not accepted by the public authorities. In this context, it is worth emphasizing the unique determination of Card. Karol Wojtyła, who did not acknowledge the 1954 decision of the Polish government and organized an independent theological faculty in 1

2 Kraków which continued the tradition of the Theological Faculty of the Jagellonian University. It was recognized by the Holy See in 1959 as an independent Theological Faculty, and, in 1974, it was granted the title of a pontifical faculty. In 1981, basing on it, Pope John Paul II established the Pontifical Academy of Theology, which, in 2009, was transformed into the Pontifical University of John Paul II in Cracow. The public law after the World War II ( ) did not acknowledge theology as a subject of studies at a public university. Instead of theology, religious studies were introduced, i.e. studies of religions in general (theory of religion, psychology of religion, sociology of religion, political science of religion), and in particular (Buddhism, Christianity, Hinduism, Judaism and other religions). At the Communist times, religious studies were a tool in the fight against the Roman Catholic Church. Catholicism is not object of religious studies (cf. the Jagellonian University, the University of Gdansk), although Protestantism is. After the 1989 breakthrough, theology came back to public universities, but not everywhere. At some of them, faculties of (Catholic) theology came into existence. There also exist faculties of theology beyond public universities. Besides, universities with a faculty of theology (e.g. in Poznan) have chairs of religious studies within other faculties (e.g. faculty of social sciences). At theological faculties, religious studies constitute a separate subject or are included in the course of fundamental theology. At present, in Poland, there are twelve theological faculties. Two of them the Pontifical Faculty of Theology in Warsaw and the Pontifical Faculty of Theology in Wrocław are independent. Four of them are part of Church universities (the Pontifical University of John Paul II in Cracow with its affiliated Faculty of Theology in Tarnow, the John Paul II Catholic University of Lublin, Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw (which, in 1999, developed out of the mentioned Academy of Catholic Theology). The remaining theological faculties are part of public universities this is so in Katowice, Opole, Poznań, Szczecin, Toruń, Olsztyn. Besides the theological faculties, we have 87 diocesan and conventual seminaries (including ca 40 diocesan ones) where the theology is also taught, but they do not confer university degrees. Their graduates acquire a diploma at faculties of theology, with which the seminaries are bound by means of affiliation agreements. At present, in Poland, there are diocesan and conventual alumni studying Catholic theology. All 2

3 seminaries are affiliated to the nearest theological faculty or the seminarists are students of that faculty. This holds true for the dioceses which have theological faculties. In Poland, there are also theological institutes run by dioceses which are academic schools for the laity. Graduates of these institutes most often catechize in both public and private schools. In Cracow, we also have an institute which is not conducted by the diocese, but by priests of St Vincent de Paulo s Congregation of the Mission. It offers studies for religious congregations. Institutes usually do not have the right to confer university degrees. Each of them is affiliated to a theological faculty. The programme of studies in seminaries consists of philosophy (the first two years) and theology (four years) in accordance with the requirements of Sapientia christiana. The programme keeps developing and the studies also include a lot of practical subjects, especially during the 5th and the 6th year, including pedagogical training. Lay students have a similar programme of studies, but the difference, of course, is that they do not have subjects associated with ordination, eg, confession. Their studies are one year shorter. Realizing a similar programme of studies provides lay graduates with a level of education similar to that of presbyters. This facilitates their cooperation at schools, which often employ both a priest and a lay catechist. Students graduate from theological studies with an MA in Theology degree. In terms of public law, it means graduation from studies of a second degree (or cycle), i.e. fives years studies unlike in ecclesiastical law, according to which the first degree (cycle) consists of two years of philosophy and three years of theology, and is completed with the Baccalaureate degree (Sapientia christiana 72, A). The programme of studies is adapted to the Bologna Accords (Bologna Process), which are being introduced in Europe. Theology is studied by candidates for priesthood and lay persons (catechists and teachers of Roman Catholic religion). Faculties of theology confer all university degrees in theology which are acknowledged by the state authorities. We do not have religious sciences in Poland as yet. There is a discussion going on as concerns implementation of the decision of the Congregation for Catholic Education of 2008 (Reform of the Higher Institutes of Religious Sciences, June 28 th, 2008). Religious sciences are studies only for the laity, and they are conducted at theological institutes 3

4 (or higher institutes of religious education), which are bound with faculties of theology by affiliation agreements. The programmes of studies are adjusted to the requirements of the Bologna Accords. There is a kind of dislike toward this reform because of a concern about the level of professional preparation of future lay catechists. What is more, the very name of the studies brings an association with religious studies at the Communist times. Besides the Catholic faculties and seminaries, there are also non- Catholic ones. The Christian Academy of Theology (ChAT) in Warsaw is among the most famous. It continues the tradition of the Faculty of Evangelical Theology and the Orthodox Theology College, which were established at the Warsaw University after the World War I. The Communist authorities did not allow the Orthodox Theology College for resumption of its activity after In 1954, the Faculty of Evangelical Theology was separated from the Warsaw University, and, with the cooperation of Old Catholic Churches, it was transformed into the Christian Academy of Theology. At that time, also three other sections started their activity: Section of Evangelical Theology, Section of Old Catholic Theology, and, since 1957, Section of Orthodox Theology. In 2004, the Academy celebrated its 50th anniversary. Its students are evangelicals, Orthodox and Old Catholic Christians. Besides theological studies, the ChAT also offers pedagogical studies and studies in social work. The Academy has ecumenical character. Besides the ChAT, there is also the College for Theological and Humanist Studies in Podkowa Leśna near Warsaw a small institution of higher learning established by the Protestant Seventh-day Adventist Church. Both schools have the right of conferring university degrees. In Poland, there are seven non-catholic seminaries (Seminary of the Old Catholic Church in Łódz, Seminary of the Old Catholic Mariavite Church in Płock, the Seminary of the Polish Catholic Church in Warsaw, Bp Jozef Padewski Seminary of the Polish National Church in the Polish Republic, the Orthodox Seminary in Warsaw, Jan Laski Seminary in Warsaw (of the Evangelical Methodist Church), the Warsaw Theological Seminary (of the Pentecostal Church). Non-Catholic seminaries have a very small number of students, some of them just a few. In other post-communist countries, the situation is similar as far as the attitude of the state to theology at university level is concerned. After 4

5 the collapse of Communism, the neighbouring countries - first of all, Slovakia, Czechia, Ukraine availed oneself of the aid provided by Catholic institutions of higher education in Poland. This means that the priests, and, less often, lay people undertook specialist studies at theological faculties in Lublin, Cracow, Opole, Wrocław. At the same time, after the re-union, East Germany (what was formerly the GDR) assumed the system of theological education from West Germany, where the theological faculties were part of public universities. It is worth keeping in mind that, in Germany, an evangelical faculty of theology usually coexists with a Catholic one. In the Czech Republic, there is the Seminary and the SS. Cyril and Methodius Faculty of Theology in Olomouc, both educating priests and laity of three Moravian dioceses. The Faculty was reincorporated into Palacký University of Olomouc in October 1990, after a gap of forty years, enforced by the Communist regime. It obtained a chance to continue all the good work that, over several dramatic centuries, was done by its predecessor, the original Faculty of Theology, which was the first faculty of the Palacky University of Olomouc at the time when the University was established (1573). The SS. Cyril and Methodius Faculty of Theology regards it as its mission to provide a deeper insight into the Catholic beliefs, but also to take part in the practical activities resulting from faith, namely, work in social, educational and humanitarian areas. Thus, the faculty does not only prepare theologians for priesthood, but it also offers opportunities for studies within the scope of B.A., M.A. and doctoral programme 1. Prague has the Catholic Theological Faculty of Charles University (in Czech: Katolická Teologická Fakulta, Univerzita Karlova v Praze or KTF-UK). It was the founding faculty of today s Charles University in Prague. Canonically, KTF was enacted by pope Clement VI on January 26, 1347, and established by the King of the Romans and King of Bohemia - Charles IV with his royal decree of April 7, It s legal existence has been continual since that time. KTF was removed from Charles University in 1950, which was one of the acts of persecution of the Catholic Church by the Communist government. After the Velvet Revolution of 1989, the Faculty was reintegrated into Charles University. It is a legal entity within Charles University. The Roman Catholic Church also exercises its right to 1 Cf. ( ). 5

6 instruct its ministers and lay people. From a canonical standpoint, KTF has the status of a church faculty (facultas ecclesiastica) ; its activity is defined by the 1983 Canon Law Code, the Apostolic Constitution of John Paul II, Sapientia Christiana (1979), with attached guidelines (Ordinationes), and other ordinations from Vatican 2. Charles University also incorporates the Protestant Theological Faculty. Slovakia has the following theological faculties: Faculty of Evangelical Theology at Komensky University in Bratislava, which was an independent academy until The same university also includes the Roman Catholic Cyril and Methodius Faculty of Theology, which, in , was also an independent academy. At the University of Prešov, there are two theological faculties. One of them is the Faculty of Greek Catholic Theology, which is a continuation of the Greek Catholic Prešov Academy of Theology (active in ). The other is the Faculty of Orthodox Theology continuing the tradition of the Orthodox Seminary which existed since The faculty affiliates the institute in Olomouc, Moravia, with extramural Czech Orthodox students. Furthermore, there are theological faculties at the Trnava University and the Catholic University in Rużomberok (with the Faculty of Theology in Košice). At the Janos Selye University in Komarno, there is the Faculty of Reformed Theology. Ukraine has one of the oldest universities in Eastern Europe. It is Ivan Franko National University of L'viv (1661) and now it is one of the biggest in the country. Its theological faculty was closed down in September 1939 when the Soviet troops entered L'viv. The proclamation of the independence of Ukraine (1991) brought about radical changes in every sphere of University life, but the Faculty of Theology was not restored. The same situation we have at Kyiv National University. It is important to know that in Ukraine there is only 2,2% of Roman Catholics and 8% Greek Catholics of all believers which are 50% of whole population. The dominant confession is the orthodox one (about 83%). In Lithuania there is a theological faculty at the state university. The Faculty of Catholic Theology at Vytautas Magnus University in Kaunas is the only Lithuanian faculty approved by the Apostolic Congregation for Catholic Education in Vatican. The Faculty has Theology Department, Religious Studies Department and Canon Law Department. The studies here are not only for future priests but for seculars as well. The faculty 2 Cf. ( ). 6

7 welcomes students who hold Christian values and want to work in the church or public organizations, responding to fundamental needs of a person, family and society 3. * * * The system of theological education in Poland and other post- Communist countries is diverse and complicated. It is an outcome of the transformations in the aftermath of the Solidarity revolution in Poland and of the Church struggling with the Communist regime after the World War II. translated from Polish by Violetta Reder My [email protected] 3 Cf. ( ). 7