Wolność religijna dziecka a władza rodzicielska
Child's religious freedom and parental authority

Summary/Abstract: The purpose of this article is to analyze the child's right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion guaranteed by the Convention on the Rights of the Child, in the background of the parental authority. This topic in Poland is ambiguous. Poland has ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child with reservations and declarations. The declarations concerned on the rules on children's religious freedom. According to Poland, the exercise of these rights "is performed with respect for parental authority, in accordance with Polish customs and traditions, concerning the place of the child within and outside the family". Moreover, there is a certain gap between Polish Family Law and the provisions of the Convention. The Polish legislator places emphasis on the right of parents to raise children in accordance with their own beliefs, while the provisions of the Convention prioritize the child's autonomy. An additional problem in this matter is also the lack of detailed national regulations that would guarantee religious freedom for children, and also ensure the possibility of exercising these rights in practice. The legislator did not include any practical guidelines on how the child's religious freedom should be exercised and how to determine the moment when the child will be mature enough to take advantage of these guarantees. The basic research method that I used was the analysis of legal acts. I also relied on monographs and collective works devoted to family law. Due to the specific nature of the subject, Poland lacks case law of common courts on this subject.

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