Współdziałanie Kościoła i państwa na rzecz pokoju i pojednania na Półwyspie Koreańskim. Wstęp do badań
Cooperation between the Church and the State for peace and reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula. Introductory remarks

Summary/Abstract: The aim of the study is to analyze the forms of cooperation between the Church and the State for peace and reconciliation on the Korean Peninsula. First, the genesis of the contemporary Korean states is described alongside with the different legal and political systems of the Republic of Korea and the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. Then, using the historical and legal-dogmatic methods, the paper systematizes and characterizes the most important actions undertaken by the Catholic Church (at the level of the parish, diocese, Episcopal Conference of the Republic of Korea and the Holy See) aiming to contribute to the unification of the Korean states. It is found that although the aspirations for peaceful unification are expressed in the constitutions of both states, cooperation between political and ecclesiastical institutions in this regard is not based on normative acts to a large extent. In practice, it is rather informal and highly dependent on the degree of mutual trust. Another important factor is the will of foreign powers that have vital interests in this part of the world. Nevertheless, it is precisely from the principle of peaceful unification that the Catholic Church derives its competence to cooperate and support efforts towards reconciliation and potential unification of the Korean Peninsula.

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