Duchowny jako podmiot administrujący w sprawach z zakresu administracji stanu cywilnego
The religious minister as an administrative entity in cases concerning civil status administration

Summary/Abstract: The aim of the article is to present the character and variety of tasks performed by entities belonging to churches and other religious organizations as far as civil status administration is concerned. In the first part, the key terms used in the article, such as civil status administration and administrative entity, are introduced and explained. Then the administrative entities involved in the system of civil status administration are enumerated, which is followed by the analysis of the tasks realized by religious entities (religious minister) as subjects engaged in the administration of civil status. These tasks concern activities connected with concluding and registering marriages in accordance with Art. 1 § 2 of the Family and Guardianship Code. They are carried out under ordinary as well as extraordinary circumstances, that is, in cases of direct life threat to one of the parties concluding a marriage. The article concludes by arguing that that the functions performed by the religious minister in the course of the procedure of concluding a marriage in accordance with Art. 1 § 2 of the Family and Guardianship Code have the character of administrative tasks delegated to public administration. The basis for their execution of these functions are appropriate regulations of state law. When performing these activities, the religious minister does not act on his behalf but as a body of a legal entity which is a particular organizational unit of a church or some other religious organization (e.g., a parish). Thus, the religious minister is an administering entity who carries out this function on behalf of a church or some other religious organization entitled to apply the religious form of concluding a marriage in accordance with relevant legal regulations.

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