The Vatican II fundamentally changed the ecclesiastical view towards the human person. Especially in Nostra aetate, Gaudium et spes, and Dignitatis humanae it strengthens the dignity of the human person and personal freedom as base for a world with equal rights for all mankind. Therefore, the council qualified discrimination of all kind as against God’s will. These statements have a huge impact on the necessary further development of theology and canon law.

Remigiusz Sobański (†2010) was highly appreciated in the world of post-Council canon law studies. His research was published in many languages. Most of his scientific achievements were presented in the Polish language. For this reason, I reach for studies unknown to a wider community of canonists in order to present Professor Sobański’s views on theology of canon law, whose subject matter was a predominant topic of his scientific interests. I present the thematic scope of theology of canon law, its role in reference to fundamental issues of canon law, but also its inadequacy. Sobański thought that in order to fully illustrate the basic issues of canon law, theological approach should coexist with the legal one within one theory of canon law.

 Remigiusz Sobański (1930–2010), a long-time professor at the Faculty of Canon Law of the Academy of Catholic Theology in Warsaw, and then at Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński University in Warsaw. Although his research focused mainly on the theory of canon law, he also published several dozen works in the field of canonical matrimonial law. These works cover four main research areas: marriage law (general rules), marriage consent, form of marriage, mixed marriages. Moreover, as a judicial vicar, he prepared and published several dozen sentences in
the cases of nullitatis matrimonii.

 “The Gaudium et spes Constitution does not approach [matrimony] a priori—as the Casti connubii Encyclical did—but, instead, it analyzes the reality of matrimony as it is reflected in the Christian consciousness shaped by the teaching of the Church.” This characteristic sentence, derived from Śląskie Studia Historyczno-Teologiczne [Silesian Studies in History and Theology] (1968), which debuted at that time on the market of theological periodicals, shows in itself the epistemological sensitivity and sharp methodical sense of the Author and the Executive Editor of the periodical. This study adopts a hypothesis, which suggests that in this
and similar lines of the famous article from 1969—perfectly set in the current of the conciliar aggiornamento—a key to understanding the phenomenon and scientific format of the work of Rev. Professor Remigiusz Sobański (1930–2010) appeared. Positive verification of this hypothesis is not in doubt: the experience of half a century of work as a scientist and person with real-life experience (a judge and officials in the Katowice Tribunal) and the related fact that he has become an undisputed authority in the field of canonical matrimonial law, resulted in the Author’s exposition of the systemic principles of the codified ius matrimoniale (CIC 1983). This finding makes it necessary to reflect, with sharpened attention, on the title area “Pillars of the system of ius matrimoniale canonicum according to Remigiusz Sobański” in the following order: (1) “the principle of matrimonial indissolubility” (irrevocabilis consensus personalis—vinculum
indissolubile), (2) “the principle [that] shapes from within all the canonical norms on marriage” (favor matrimonii), (3) “the principle of the right to marriage” (ius connubii), (4) “sacrament— one of the structural elements of the Church” (sacramentum matrimoni; principles: eo ipso sacramentum and favor fidei).

Legislation is an art. Fr. Professor Remigiusz Sobański, who analyzed the particular legislation of the (Arch)diocese of Katowice in his scientific activity, was very well aware of this. These academic analyses allowed him to draw up numerous observations and comments, as well as postulates with regard to this law. This article focuses on the formal aspects of law addressed by the great canonist.

Epidemiological measures during the first wave of the coronavirus epidemic in 2020 significantly affected the realization of religious freedom, including religious services and sacraments. This paper deals with one narrower topic in this area, namely, the regulation of access to the sacrament of penance in response to measures of secular law. It focuses mainly on the modalities of allowing access to this sacrament in the Catholic Church, both in terms of universal law and in terms of particular law and proposals for its formulation.

The present article discusses certain aspects of the Treaty between the Czech Republic and the Holy See. The text of the treaty was signed at the level of the government, however, it has not been ratified so far. Some provisions of the treaty are rather superfluous or lack sufficient normative basis. Nevertheless, as the example of Article 9 of the treaty on the recognition of civil effects of church marriages shows that the approval of the treaty by the Parliament of the Czech Republic would have been very beneficial. In fact, in the process of preparation for a new civil code an attempt was made to repeal church marriages recognized by the state. Such a project would have been made impossible by the concordat because church marriage would have been supported by an obligation of the state under international law. Fortunately, the civil code kept church marriages, and confessional law in the Czech Republic has to develop without a valid concordat.

The review presents the monograph Canonical Marriage Law by Stanislav Pribyl, which is intended as a text for students of faculties of law. Apart from the preface and conclusion, the monograph is divided into 16 chapters, with the most space devoted to the issues of marital consent, in accordance with its doctrinal and legal significance, by frequently giving examples from court practice, especially in the area of deficiencies of marital consent - this is an extremely valuable asset of this work. It also considers secular family law, especially Czech law, as well as the law of other Christian churches. This monograph therefore also has an ecumenical dimension.

The review presents a book by two experienced German authors, experts in the penal law of the Catholic Church, presenting in a concise and clear manner the new Book VI of the 1983 Code of Canon Law, promulgated in 2021 by Pope Francis' Apostolic Constitution Pascite gregem Dei, to users in the German-speaking area. The authors present the origins of the revised text, its main features, and provide commentary on each individual canon. They also present the original Latin texts and the German translation of both the Apostolic Constitution and the new Book VI of the Codex itself. Synopses of the original 1983 text and the revised 2021 text, in both Latin and German, also facilitate familiarity with the new legislation.