The Rights of the Family in the Vision of the Evangelical Church

Full text

Ecumeny and Law, vol. 2 (2014)
pp. 131—143
PIOTR KROCZEK
The Pontifical University of John Paul II in Cracow, Poland
The Rights of the Family
in the Vision of the Evangelical Church
Keywords: family, the Evangelical -Augsburg Church in Poland, Zasadnicze Prawo
Wewnętrzne, Pragmatyka służbowa, Martin Luther, the Book of Concord, Liber Concordiae
1. Introduction
The Lutheran instructions about the family are the Bible -based teach-
ings. The Bible, due to sola scriptura principle, is according to Lutheran-
ism the only reliable and trustworthy authority.1 It is a foundation of faith
and Christian life. It is a source of dogma, a touchstone of orthodoxy, and
the ultimate judge of all theological questions and problems.2 The Bible is
norma normans non normata of the church teaching.3
The spectrum of teaching of the Lutheran Churches
4
is presented
in many church documents.
5
They are gathered mainly in The Book of
Concord (Liber Concordiae).6 The collection is the hard core of doctrinal
1 M. UGLORZ: Od samoświadomości do świadectwa wiary. Wprowadzenie do dog-
matyki ewangelickiej. Warszawa 1995, pp. 125—127.
2 Ibidem, pp. 88—98; a good introducition to the Lutheran theology is provided by
S.D. PAULSON: Lutheran Theology. London 2011.
3 P. JASKÓŁA: Wyznania chrześcijańskie bez jedności z Rzymem. Opole 2008, p. 79.
4 For more about the Lutheran Churches, see P. JASKÓŁA: Wyznania chrześcijańskie
bez jedności z Rzymem. Opole 2008, pp. 57—90.
5 For a short introduction to the issue, see L. ULLRICH: “Corpus Doctrinae.” In:
Lexikon der Reformationszeit, Lexikon für Theologie und Kirche. Kompakt. Eds. K. GAN-
ZER, B. STEIMER. Freiburg -Basel -Wien 2002, col. 175—176.
6 The first edition in German was in Dresden in 1580 (eds. M. STÖCKEL, G. BERGEN).
For the full title of the edition, see Bibliography.

132 Piotr Kroczek
and disciplinary teaching extracted from Martin Luther’s doctrine.
7
All
the books have been recognized as authoritative in Lutheranism since the
16th century. The special place among them occupies The Augsburg Con-
fession. As it was said, The Augsburg Confession remains the basic defini-
tion of what it means to be a Lutheran.
8
All the books from the men-
tioned corpus doctrinae are norma normata, because they are subordinate
to the Bible.9
It seems that also some other documents issued by the Lutheran
Churches, or at least some parts of them, are not only of theological
but also of legal significance. It is because they touch upon not only theo-
logical matters, but also disciplinary ones.
10
In case of the Evangelical-
Augsburg Church in Poland, a special emphasis must be placed on PS
11
and ZPW.
12
All citations from the books are taken from the English edition The Book of Con-
cord, or, the Symbolical Books of the Evangelical Lutheran Church. Translated from the
Original Languages, with Analyses and an Exhaustive Index. Ed. H.E. JACOBS. Philadel-
phia 1911; Polish translation: Księgi Wyznaniowe Kościoła Luterańskiego. Bielsko -Biała
1999; see also: Wyznania wiary protestantyzmu. Tom zawiera także wyznania wspólnot
religijnych XIX i XX wieku wywodzących się z dziedzictwa reformacji. Wybor tekstów
zródłowych. Ed. L. SADKO. Kraków 1995.
The mentioned English version consists of the following essential parts: “The Gen-
eral Creeds” (pp. 23—28), “The Augsburg Confession” (pp. 30—68), “The Apology of
the Augsburg Confession” (pp. 69—302), “The Smalcald Articles” (pp. 303 —354), “The
Small Catechism” (pp. 355—378), “The Large Catechism” (pp. 379—486), “The Formula
of Concord” (pp. 487—671).
7
W. NIEMCZYK: “Teologia ksiąg wyznaniowych.” In: Księgi Wyznaniowe Kościoła
Luterańskiego…, Bielsko -Biała 1999, p. 19.
8 R. KOLB, CH. P. ARAND: The Genius of Luther’s Theology: A Wittenberg Way of
Thinking for the Contemporary Church. Grand Rapids 2008, p. 16.
9 P. JASKÓŁA: Wyznania chrześcijańskie bez jedności z Rzymem. Opole 2008, p. 79.
10
As it is in case of P. MELANCHTHON’S, A Treatise on the Power and Primacy
of the Pope. Treatise Compiled by the Theologians Assembled at Smalcald in 1537 and
added as an apendix to The Smalcald Articles; a short explanation of relation between law
and Gospel, see P. JASKÓŁA: Wyznania chrześcijańskie bez jedności z Rzymem. Opole 2008,
p. 80.
11 PS = Pragmatyka Służbowa Kościoła Ewangelicko -Augsburskiego w Rzeczpospolitej
Polskiej (The Official Policy of the Evangelical -Augsburg Church in Poland). Tekst jednolity
opracowany na 10 sesję XII Synodu Kościoła Ewangelicko -Augsburskiego w RP w dni-
ach 14—16 października 2011 r. Available at: http://www.luteranie.pl/pl/files/file/ps.pdf.
Accessed 10.3.2012.
12 ZPW = Zasadnicze Prawo Wewnętrzne Kościoła Ewangelicko -Augsburskiego w Rzecz-
pospolitej Polskiej z dnia 26 października 1996 r. z późniejszymi zmianami (The Essen-
tial Inner Law of the Evangelical -Augsburg Church in Poland). Tekst jednolity opracow-
any na 10 sesję XII Synodu Kościoła Ewangelicko -Augsburskiego w RP w dniach 14—16
października 2011 r. Available at: http://www.luteranie.pl/pl/files/file/zpw.pdf. Accessed
10.3.2012.

133
The Rights of the Family…
In case of ZPW the situation is quite simple. The document in ques-
tion is titled “law” (“prawo”). In § 82 ZPW there is a date of the law
coming into effect, and in the next § 83 ZPW derogation norms of the
previous version of the law are established.
It can be presumed that also PS is of legal significance. There are some
arguments in support of that opinion. First, the redaction of PS is typical
of legal texts. The document is divided into smaller units (paragraph and
numbers); also formulations of sentences and its language indicate clearly
that the text is a normative document. Second, the collegial body of the
Evangelical Church, that is, Synod of the Church (“Synod Kościoła”) in
Poland “approved” (“zatwierdził”) PS at the 4th session of the X Synod,
and the unified text of the document was “drawn up” (“opracowany”)
for the 10th Session of the XII Synod in 2011.
It must be mentioned that the Synod is the highest power in the
Church (§ 58 no. 1 ZPW). The Synod is “an embodiment of the Church
and exponent of all rights of the Church” (§ 58 no. 1 ZPW).13 The body
has legislative power and competences, because it is entitled to enact all
church laws, and to decide in all general matters of the Church, in the
limits of the law [ZPW] (§ 58 no. 2 ZPW).
Although there is no word “promulgation” used in PS — promulgation,
of course, belongs to the essence of a law14 — one can justly presume that
the mentioned “approval” is some kind of promulgation. The document in
question can be found on the web page of the Evangelical -Augsburg Church
in Poland. The very fact can be understood as a kind of publication of PS.
The law states that “Evangelical family, being part of the Church, is
a community of the saints and it is obliged to build itself into a spiritual
house and reinforce itself in faith by the Word of God, sacraments, and
prayer” (§ 111 PS).
15
It follows that all regulations must come from the
teaching of the Church and be coherent with it. It must be underlined
that there is no bill of rights of the family in documents of Evangelical
Church.16 In the present paper, PS will be mainly analysed, of course in
13 § 58 no. 1 ZPW: “[Synod] jest on uosobieniem Kościoła i wyrazicielem wszystkich
praw Kościołowi przysługujących.”
14 Cf. Decretum magistri Gratiani. In: Corpus Iuris Canonici, vol. 1. Lipsiae 1979,
col. 1—1424, here: D. IV, c. 3.
15
§ PS 111: “[…] rodzina ewangelicka, będąc cząstką Kościoła, jest społecznością
świętych, zobowiązana do budowania się w dom duchowy i umacniania w wierze przez
Słowo Boże, sakramenty i modlitwę.”
16 As it is in case of the Catholic Church. The authorities of the Church have issued
such a document, see PONTIFICIO CONSIGLIO PER LA FAMIGLIA: “Carta dei diritti della
famiglia.” Enchiridion Vaticanum, 9, pp. 538—552; Polish edition: Karta Praw Rodziny:
przedłożona przez Stolicę Apostolską wszystkim ludziom, instytucjom i władzom zain-
teresowanym misją rodziny w świecie współczesnym. Katowice 2008.

134 Piotr Kroczek
the light of the general Lutheran doctrinal and disciplinary teaching. This
method, it is assumed, will bring to light the rights of the family in the
vision of the Evangelical Church, which is the aim of the paper.
2. Rights regarding contracting marriage
Because family is built on marriage, the right that should be examined
is the right to marry. The Evangelical Church believes that “God ordained
marriage to be a help against human infirmity.”17 Martin Luther was of
the opinion that the union of a male and a female belongs to natural
rights. “But since natural right is immutable, the right to contract mar-
riage must always remain. For where nature does not change, that ordi-
nance also with which God has endowed nature does not change, and
cannot be removed by human laws.”18
The right in question can be interpreted from the Father of the Ref-
ormation’s opposition to the ban on contracting marriage by the priests.
According to Luther “private judgment of the Popes, both prohibit the
contraction of marriages, and dissolve them when contracted; and this is
to be done openly contrary to the command of Christ, Matt. 19:6: what
God hath joined together, let not man put asunder”;19 and also “priests
would have done wrong in contracting marriages, yet this disruption of
marriages, these proscriptions, and this cruelty, are manifestly contrary to
the will and Word of God.”20 In one word: “the right to contract marriage
cannot be removed by statutes or vows.”21
But, on the other hand, there is no obligation to marry. Law states that
“marriage is a possibility, given by God to humans, for man’s and wom-
an’s life. It is a covenant of two persons in which a man and a woman
are obliged to lead common life in mutual love, responsibility, sharing
burdens, trust, prayer, and striving for perfection” (PS § 107 no. 1).
22
The cited article speaks about the possibility of contracting marriage, not
the compulsion or pressure of entering into marriage.
17 AC (=the Augsburg Confession) XX, 15.
18 Ap (= the Apology of the Augsburg Confession) XXIII, 9.
19 Ap XXIII, 23.
20 Ap XII, 71.
21 Ap XXIII, 7.
22 § 107 no. 1 PS: “małżeństwo jest darowaną przez Boga człowiekowi możliwością
życia mężczyzny i kobiety. Jest ono przymierzem dwojga osób, mężczyzny i kobiety,
zobowiązanych do wspólnego życia we wzajemnej miłości, odpowiedzialności, dzieleniu
brzemion, zaufaniu, modlitwie, doskonaleniu się.”

135
The Rights of the Family…
It must be added that the right in question is not an absolute one.
In § 108 of PS, the Church authorities declare that a marriage comes into
existence by consent of persons, a man and a woman, who are legally
capable (§ 108 PS). By the act, the persons in irrevocable covenant mutu-
ally give and accept each other for the purpose of establishing a marriage
(§ 108 PS). To accomplish such a great deed as contracting marriage, the
persons undoubtedly must have a certain level of freedom to get married
validly.
In Lutheran thought, the detailed legal regulations of marriage do not
belong to the religious community, but to the civil authorities.23 It seems
that in the system of norms in the Lutheran Church there are no norms in
sensu stricte of marriage law, created in endogenic way, such as norms that
regulate the legal ability of contracting marriage, the conditions of validity
of marriage consensus, etc. There is even an opinion that “legal ability of
candidates to Evangelical marriage is determined not by own law of the
Church, but state law.”24 It seems that the judgement is not right, because
it is exaggerated. One can argue that § 116 PS orders that the duty of the
pastor is to check ability of contracting marriage not only according to
documents issued by the registry office,25 but also documents required by
PS such as a certificate of baptism with annotation of confirmation and
free state.26 Luther also ordered that marriages must not be contracted in
secret. According to him, valid is only the marriage contracted officially,
publicly, in presence of witnesses and the Church. To the essence of mar-
riage belongs its declarative character.27 As it is seen, the Lutheran Church
provides some regulations about validity of marriage, which, of course,
have an influence on realization of ius connubii.
23 P. HOLC: “Małżeństwo w ‘Księgach Symbolicznych’ luteranizmu.” In: Sakra-
mentalność małżeństwa. Red. Z.J. KIJAS, J. KRZYWDA. Kraków 2002, pp. 78—79.
24 P. MAJER: “Uznanie małżeństwa kanonicznego w prawie państwowym.” Annales
Cannonici 6 (2010), p. 74, fn. 19.
25 In Poland it is Urząd Stanu Cywilnego, see, e.g., art 41 § 1 ustawy z dnia 25
lutego 1964 r. Kodeks rodzinny i opiekuńczy (Dz.U. nr 9 poz. 59 z późn. zm.), and, for
example, art. 54, art. 55, art. 56 ustawy z dnia 29 września 1986 r. — Prawo o aktach
stanu cywilnego (Dz.U. nr 36 poz. 180 z późn. zm.).
26 § 116 PS: “[…] obowiązkiem proboszcza jest sprawdzenie zdolności prawnej
do zawarcia małżeństwa narzeczonych zgłaszających zapowiedzi, na podstawie
ich oświadczeń pisemnych oraz przedłożonych przez nich dokumentów według
obowiązujących przepisów: a) świadectw Chrztu Św. z adnotacją o konfirmacji i stanie
cywilnym, b) wystawionych przez Urząd Stanu Cywilnego dokumentów stwierdzających
zdolność prawną do zawarcia małżeństwa, c) dodatkowych dokumentów określonych
przez niniejsze Prawo lub porozumienia między Państwem a Kościołem.”
27 WA 30 III 207, 12.

136 Piotr Kroczek
3. Rights regarding pastoral care
The next group of rights is the one that concerns pastoral care over
the families. Luther in The Tables of Duties, a part of The Small Cat-
echism, ordered that bishops, pastors, and preachers must be apt to teach,
holding fast to the Word as they have been taught, that they may be able
by sound doctrine both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers.28
According to Philipp Melanchthon, all the sermons in Lutheran
Churches are to treat certain topics, such as: repentance, the fear of God,
faith in Christ, the righteousness of faith, and many others. But on the
proposed list there are also subjects that concern families, such as: mar-
riage, education and instruction of children.29
ZPW in § 36 no. 2 prescribes that the pastor is to take pastoral care of
the whole parish. Even the members of the Church, who are abroad, are
to be, but only in special circumstances, surrounded by pastoral care of
the Church (§ 6 no. 1 ZPW).
That duty creates certain rights for the members of the Church. First
of all, marriages and families have the right to receive pastoral care from
the Church. Lutheran law orders that the ministers of the Church are
obliged to extend pastoral care to certain groups of parishioners like: fam-
ilies, the poor, the orphans, the old, the handicapped (§ 63 PS).
The families are entitled to a special care in time of mourning for the
members of the family (§ 63 PS). The parish office is to come to aid in
organizing the funeral (§ 154 PS). The ministers are obliged to show spe-
cial attention to mixed marriages and marriages that stay away from the
Church (§ 63 PS).
4. Rights regarding ministers’ families
According to the Lutheran teaching, marriage and family are deeply
rooted in state and civil society. The main responsibility for wellbeing of
the families belongs to the civil authorities.30
28 SC (= the Small Catechism), Appendix 3, 2.
29 Ap XV, 43.
30 See more: A. SKOWRONEK: Małżeństwo i kapłaństwo jako spotęgowanie
chrześcijańskiej egzystencji. Sakramenty wiary. Spotkania z Chrystusem w Kościele. W pro-
filu ekumenicznym. Vol. 3. Włocławek 1996, pp. 40—45.

137
The Rights of the Family…
But in PS an exemption is made for ministers’ families, because “min-
isters (bishops, priests and deacons) are entitled to company flat that
guarantees decent living for the family and organization of office space”
(§ 200 PS).31 If the minister stays in his own house the parish is obliged
to participate in the costs of living (§ 200 PS).
The rules have their roots in the teaching of Martin Luther. In the
already cited The Tables of Duties he ordered that the hearers own their
pastors: “let the elders that rule well be counted worthy of double honor,
especially they who labor in word and doctrine. For the Scripture said,
‘Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treadeth
32
out the corn’. And, ‘The
laborer is worthy of his reward’ (1 Tim. 5:17, 18). Obey them that have
the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as
they that must give account, that they may do it with joy and not with
grief; for that is unprofitable for you (Heb. 13:17).”33
5. Rights regarding members of family, especially children
The analysed law gives many rights and duties of the particular mem-
bers of the family like parents, children, or siblings. For instance, the law
states that parents and children have general duty to love and support one
another (§ 111 PS). The law also states that parents have special obliga-
tion that arises from the missionary order of Jesus Christ, to lead their
children in the community of the Church by sacrament of baptism, teach-
ing of the Word of God, and religious upbringing (§ 111 PS). The legis-
lator § 112 PS orders that the children have the duty to venerate parents
by showing them respect, obedience, love, and by taking care of them in
their old years and illness. The siblings have the right and duty to live in
harmony, and family love, and to show mutual help (§ 112 PS).
But most of the rights are connected with children. Of course, the
rights of children are the reflection of the duties of the parents, and the
ministers of the Church.
31 § 200 PS: “[…] duchownym (biskupom, księżom i diakonom) przysługuje miesz-
kanie służbowe, zapewniające godne warunki życia rodziny oraz urządzenie gabinetu
pracy.”
32 Sic!
33 SC, Appendix 3, 3.

138 Piotr Kroczek
5.1. Baptism
The first and foremost right the children have is the right to be bap-
tized. Luther said that the doubts or the questions about the infant bap-
tism were suggested by the devil, through his sects, to confuse the world.34
Also, that the baptism of infants is pleasing to Christ is sufficiently proved
from His own work.35
According to § 69 no. 1 PS, children should be baptized in the first
six weeks since birth. It seems that the addressees of the norm are mainly
parents. If the parents fail to fulfill the duty in question and postpone the
baptism longer than one year, the ministers are to see the family and to
ask about the causes of such nonfeasance, and to talk to them pastorally
(§ 69 no. 1 PS).
The Lutheran law mentions nothing about the protection of freedom
of children to choose baptism. PS only orders that “the children who are
to be baptized in a more advanced age are to be prepared individually for
receiving the sacrament (§ 72 no. 1 PS).36 The legislator does not deter-
mine the meaning of the term “in a more advanced age” (“w starszym
wieku”); nor the possibility of opposition of the children against receiving
the sacrament in question is regulated.
In case of mixed marriages, the legislator provided special regulations.
The norms resolve issues of contracting such marriages, and of special
pastoral care for the marriages. They order that the Evangelical part of
marriage must take care of “giving the house the Evangelical character,”37
which is seen particularly in upbringing children in the Evangelical
Church.
5.2. Religious upbringing and education
As St. Paul taught: “Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger,
but raise them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord” (Eph.
6:4). Because of the duty, the children have the right to be educated
in religion especially in the first years of life. The legislator gives some
34 LC (= The Large Catechism), IV, 47.
35 LC IV, 49.
36 § 72 no. 1 PS: “[…] dzieci, które mają być ochrzczone w starszym wieku należy
osobno odpowiednio przygotować do chrztu.”
37 § 133 PS: “[…] nadania domowi ewangelickiego charakteru.”

139
The Rights of the Family…
pastoral examples of making it happen: praying and singing with
children, telling the biblical stories, reading Evangelical papers for chil-
dren, Sunday school, but a special place is reserved for taking part in
the church services. In the second preface to The Large Catechism Martin
Luther wrote that “it is the duty of every father of a family at least once
a week to examine his children and servants, and to ascertain what they
know of it [the catechism], or have learned, and, if they be not familiar
with it, to keep them faithfully at it,”38 and also “let every father of a fam-
ily know that it is his duty, by the injunction and command of God, to
teach these things to his children, or have them learn what they ought to
know.”39
According to the Church legislative body, everything possible must be
done to “strive for giving the important moments in life of the child
a religious character” (§ 88 no. 2 PS).40 Responsible for the realization of
the right are parents and godparents who are to be constantly encouraged
to fulfill the duty.
It should be mentioned that the duty of education is extended also to
the members of the parish council (“rady parafialnej”). According to § 88
no. 5 ZPW the organ must be particularly involved in “the care for educa-
tion and upbringing of the children and the youth.”41
The right in question is to be extended in time. Also in the later years
the parents and the godparents must by word and example shape the pos-
itive attitude of the child to church teaching, church services, parish life
and Church life (§ 89 PS). It is underlined in the law that children have
the special right to find in the life of their parents a unique and special
pattern of honest, pious life, full of the virtues like: righteousness, love,
fidelity and trustworthiness (§ 112 PS). It is worth adding that law also
mentions the obligation of the parents to provide not only upbringing,
but also an education for their children (§ 111 PS).
6. Conclusions
In summary, it must be said that the Evangelical -Augsburg Church
in Poland does not formulate the bill of rights of the family. But, it has
38 LC, 2nd preface, 4.
39 LC V, 87.
40 § 88 no. 2 PS: “[…] dążyć do nadania ważniejszym momentom życia dziecka
charakteru religijnego.”
41 § 88 no. 5 ZPW: “[…] troska o chrześcijańskie wychowanie dzieci i młodzieży.”

140 Piotr Kroczek
enacted some rights of the family. They are rooted mainly in the corpus
doctrinae of Evangelical Churches. The Church in question formed some
regulations about the family in PS and ZPW. In the two laws one can find
concrete and clear -cut regulations; unfortunately, they are scattered among
the two texts.
One can say that the regulations in question are not rights, but rather
pastoral clues, because there are no sanctions for the behaviour opposite
to the norms. In a different matter than family, the regulations from PS
are formed into norms with sanctions, like it is in case of § 151 no. 2 PS42
(rigor of marriage of pastors with women of Evangelical faith), or § 105
PS43 (protection of the seal of confession).44
Generally, it can be said that the vision of the Evangelical Church
regarding the rights of family is not extensive. The Church law deals only
with basic matters and the Evangelical legislator did not try to regulate
and give some norms for modern issues concerning family. The law that
the legislative body of the Church enacted is mainly focused on the reli-
gious and spiritual side of life. Neither PS nor ZPW cover today’s impor-
tant problems like: child abuse, unemployment, in vitro fertilization, or
other bioethical issues.
42 § 151 no. 2 PS: “[…] duchownemu pod rygorem skreślenia go z listy duchownych
Kościoła nie wolno zawierać małżeństwa z osobą przynależącą do innego Kościoła,
z wyjątkiem osób przynależących do kościołów pozostających z Kościołem Ewangelicko-
Augsburskim w RP we wspólnocie ołtarza i ambony.”
43 § 105 PS: “[…] duchowni, zgodnie ze ślubowaniem ordynacyjnym, są zobowiązani
do zachowania tajemnicy spowiedzi, a także tajemnicy rozmów duszpasterskich pod
rygorem utraty urzędu.”
44 See § 261 PS for the list of disciplinary punishments.
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The Rights of the Family…
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142 Piotr Kroczek
PIOTR KROCZEK
The Rights of the Family in the Vision of the Evangelical Church
Summary
The paper deals with the topic of rights of the family in teaching and law of the
Evangelical -Augsburg Church in Poland. The Church in question, above the doctrinal
statements, issued two documents, titled: Zasadnicze Prawo Wewnętrzne, which contains
the essential norms for the Church, and Pragmatyka służbowa, which is a collection
of regulations and rules of church service and pastoral care. In the paper, the two
documents are analysed in perspective of the rights of family. The main conclusion is
that the vision of the Evangelical Church regarding the rights of family is not extensive
and deals only with basic matters not taking into consideration modern issues concern-
ing family.
PIOTR KROCZEK
Droits de la famille dans l’optique de l’Église évangélique
de la Confession d’Augsbourg dans la République de Pologne
Résumé
L’article aborde le sujet concernant les droits de la famille dans l’enseignement et
dans le droit de l’Église évangélique de la Confession d’Augsbourg dans la République
de Pologne. Cette Église a publié, outre l’enseignement doctrinal, deux documents
à caractère normatif : Droit Interne Fondamental qui comprend les réglementations les
plus importantes concernant cette Église et Pragmatique de service qui contient les règle-
ments concernant principalement l’activité pastorale. Ces deux documents ont été analy-
sés sous l’angle des droits de la famille.
La conclusion majeure qui découle de nos études, c’est que la vision évangélique des
droits de la famille ne se focalise pas sur ces droits d’une façon vaste, mais elle concerne
uniquement les droits fondamentaux. Elle passe sous silence les questions contempo-
raines qui concernent la famille.
Mots clés : famille, Église évangélique de la Confession d’Augsbourg dans la République
de Pologne, Droit Interne Fondamental, Pragmatique de service, Martin Luther, Liber
Concordiae

143
The Rights of the Family…
PIOTR KROCZEK
I diritti della famiglia nell’ottica della Chiesa Evangelico-Augustea nella
Repubblica di Polonia
Sommario
L’articolo tratta l’argomento dei diritti delle famiglie nell’insegnamento e nel diritto
della Chiesa evangelico-augustea nella Repubblica di Polonia. Tale Chiesa, oltre all’in-
segnamento dottrinale, ha pubblicato due documenti di natura normativa: Zasadnicze
Prawo Wewnętrzne [Diritto Interno Fondamentale] che include le norme più importanti
riguardanti tale Chiesa e Pragmatyka służbowa [Prammatica del servizio] che include le
leggi riguardanti principalmente il servizio pastorale. Questi due documenti sono stati
analizzati dal punto di vista dei diritti della famiglia.
La conclusione principale che scaturisce dalle ricerche eseguite è che la visione evan-
gelica dei diritti della famiglia non racchiude in modo ampio i diritti menzionati, ma
riguarda solamente i diritti fondamentali. Tralascia le problematiche contemporanee che
riguardano la famiglia.
Parole chiave: famiglia, Chiesa Evangelico-Augustea nella Repubblica di Polonia, Diritto
Interno Fondamentale, Prammatica del servizio, Martin Lutero, Liber Concordiae