Anthropology and pastoral ecclesiology WT-SST-AEP

Rev. Jan Kazimierz Przybyłowski

ANTHROPOLOGY AND PASTORAL ECCLESIOLOGY

Anthropology, as an interdisciplinary field of knowledge, draws on the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. As the term itself indicates: it is the study of man as a single, unique “person.” The Christian religion also has its own view of man, whose anthropology draws on the achievements of theology, philosophy, religiology. Catholic anthropology, on the other hand, is a separate science, whose primary source of truth about man is Revelation and the Magisterium of the Church.
The starting point in Catholic anthropology is the thesis that it is first necessary to know God, who has revealed himself in the Person of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, in order to then, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit,[1] gain knowledge about man. Such knowledge is possible within the framework of theology, which no one can practice “as a collection of his own mere opinions, but must be aware that he remains in special communion with that mission of Truth for which the Church is responsible.”[2] Catholic anthropology is therefore characterized by ecclesiality, that is, fidelity to the tradition of the People of God with all its richness and multiplicity of knowledge and cultures united by the unity of faith.[3]
In the context of the modern progress of civilization, the development of science and the ubiquity of modern technology, including artificial intelligence, an important question emerges: how should Catholic anthropology develop today? John Paul II, analyzing the situation of believers, in his post-synodal exhortation “Ecclesia in Europa,” stressed that today “in many public spheres it is easier to declare oneself agnostic than to declare oneself a believer; the impression is given that unbelief is natural, while faith requires a social authentication that is neither obvious nor predictable.”[4] Benedict XVI, on the other hand, already as Pope Senior, confirmed the validity of these claims, as in “Last Conversations” he said: “That we are no longer in tune with modern culture, and that Christian models are no longer the decisive guideline, is obvious. We are now living within a positivist and agnostic morality that is becoming increasingly intolerant of Christianity. Hence, the society of the West, Europe in any case, will simply not be Christian."[5]
In the face of such threats, modern Catholics need a new Catholic anthropology, in which they will find an intelligible answer to the eternal questions about the meaning of life and death, the dignity of the human person and, above all, the meaning of faith in God the Creator and Savior. Starting from these questions, “reason felt even more strongly the desire for ever broader and deeper knowledge. As a result, complex systems of thought were built, which resulted in the development of various fields of knowledge, fostering progress in culture and history. Anthropology, logic, natural sciences, history, language - in a way, the entire field of knowledge was covered by this process. Positive achievements, however, should not obscure the fact that this reason, focused unilaterally on the search for knowledge about man as an entity, seems to have forgotten that man's vocation is to pursue the truth that transcends himself. Without reference to it, everyone relies on the arbitrariness of human judgment, and his existence as a person is judged solely by pragmatic criteria, based essentially on experiential knowledge, under the misconception that everything should be subordinated to technology. The result is that - instead of expressing as best it can the pursuit of truth - reason bows to itself under the burden of such extensive knowledge, so that day by day it becomes more and more incapable of directing its attention to higher reality and dare not reach for the truth of being. Modern philosophy has forgotten that being should be the object of its study, and has focused on human cognition. Instead of exploiting man's capacity to know the truth, it prefers to emphasize his limitations and the conditions to which he is subjected."[6]
The danger of arriving at false conclusions also threatens anthropological research, which is why the Catholic anthropologist is bound by the same principle as the theologian, whose special task is to gain, in conjunction with the Teaching Office, an ever-deeper understanding of the Word of God contained in inspired Scripture and transmitted through the living Tradition of the Church. Faith requires an intellectual foundation, so by its very nature it seeks to understand, to reveal to man the truth about his destiny and the way to achieve it. Therefore, if even the expression in words of revealed truth exceeds human capabilities, and if concepts are imperfect in the face of its unfathomable greatness, nevertheless, for reason, which is a God-given instrument for knowing truth, it is an invitation to enter into its Light, which will make it possible to understand what it has believed. Catholic anthropology, like theology, is thus the kind of science that, responding to the call of truth, seeks an understanding of faith."[7]
Therefore, modern Catholics should take a renewed interest in Catholic anthropology. This is all the more necessary because in modern society, concepts of man are being created that distance themselves from the truth and exclude God in the belief that the primacy of man is thus affirmed in the name of his supposed freedom and full and free development. In this way, these ideologies deprive man of his constitutive dimension as a person created in the image and likeness of God. This grave mutilation is a real threat to man today, for it leads to seeing him without any reference to transcendence. [8] Pope Francis, recognizing these threats to the human person as an important challenge to environmental protection as well, has placed new ecological impulses to the modernization of Catholic anthropology in his encyclical “Laudato si.” His teaching refocuses anthropological research on the search for man's place in creation and the resulting consequences.
1 Catholic vs. “modern” anthropocentrism
According to Catholic anthropocentrism, like all of creation, man, who is subject to evolutionary processes, carries with him a certain newness that cannot be explained by evolution and other open systems. Every human being possesses and represents a personal identity, capable of entering into relationship and dialogue with God himself and with others. Man's capacity for reflection, reasoning, creativity, interpretation, artistic creativity and other original capacities show his certain uniqueness, which goes beyond the physical and biological realm of life. The qualitative novelty signified by the emergence of a personal being within the material universe presupposes the direct action of God, who, in creating man, enables and calls him at the same time to establish personal relationships. Catholic anthropology, viewed from an ecological perspective, based on the Bible, Tradition and the Magisterium, therefore recognizes the human person as a subject who can never be reduced to the category of an object.[9]
The subjectivity of the human person orientates man towards other people, with whom he has various relationships. This includes his relationship with all of creation. For this reason, Catholic anthropology treats the ecological crisis as an external manifestation of problems related to respect for the personal dignity of man, as well as the broader ethical, cultural and spiritual crisis of modernity. Consistently, therefore, Catholic anthropologists argue that the healing of man's relationship with nature and the environment is impossible without recognizing the dignity of every human person and healing all basic human relationships. This means that the opening of man to “you,” enabling him to know, love and dialogue, docks the great nobility of man. It is this that enables him to have a proper relationship with created reality while preserving the social dimension of the human being, as well as his transcendent dimension, his openness to God's “You.” Thus, the concept of ecological Catholic anthropology emphasizes that the quality of man's relationship with the environment is determined by his relationship with God and his relationship with other people. According to Francis, undermining this truth leads to romantic individualism hidden under the mask of ecological beauty and suffocating confinement to immanence.[10]
In opposition to Catholic anthropology today appears an anthropology based on modern anthropocentrism, which has led to placing technical factors above human beings. The reason for this is that man no longer views nature “as an ever-present norm, let alone as life's refuge. He looks at it without any ready assumptions, matter-of-factly, as the place and material of his creativity, to which he devotes everything, without caring what comes out of it."[11] This weakens the value that the world has in itself. Burdensome consequences ensue. For if a person does not discover his true place, he also does not properly understand himself and leads to a denial of his own nature. This is why Catholic anthropology accepts the principle that “not only has the earth been given to man by God to use with respect for the originally intended good for which it was given to him, but also man is for himself a gift received from God and therefore must respect the natural and moral structure with which he has been equipped.”[12]
The rejection in modern anthropology of man's relationship with God leads to a false anthropocentrism that threatens man himself first and foremost, disrupts his sense of community and dooms his attempts to strengthen social bonds and relationships to failure. For this reason, Catholic anthropology pays special attention to a peculiar oxymoron, which shows that the limitations of earthly reality can at the same time provide opportunities for the concrete human being for more healthy and fruitful human and social development. The inadequate presentation of these basic assumptions of Catholic anthropology in ecological terms has led to the promotion of misconceptions about man's relationship with the world. As a result, a Promethean dream of world dominion thus emerged in modern anthropology, which gave the impression that concern for nature is a matter for weak people.[13]
Catholic anthropology is in clear opposition to modern anthropology primarily on the level of ideological dispute. The point is that many modern anthropologists succumb to a kind of technocratic exaltation that does not grant other beings their proper value, to the point of denying any special value to the human person. Therefore, Catholic anthropologists emphasize that humanity must be valued first, because without accepting the unconditionally defined dignity of the human person, it is impossible to form his new relationship with nature. Therefore, there is no true ecology without a proper anthropology. When the human person is considered merely as some further entity among others, coming as it were from a game of chance or physical determinism, “the danger arises that the consciousness of responsibility will be weakened in consciences.”[14] It would also be false to replace modern anthropocentrism with “biocentrism,” for this would mean adding a new disorder that not only fails to solve the problems of the human person and his place in creation, but will generate new ones. Thus, an ecologically oriented Catholic anthropology stresses that it is impossible to require man's engagement with the world if one does not simultaneously recognize and emphasize his relationship with God, who is the source of his special abilities of cognition, will, freedom and responsibility."[15]
The second important area of confrontation between Catholic anthropology and modern anthropocentrism is man's relationship to the progress of civilization. In modern anthropology, a false assumption is made, according to which progress is an increase in power giving greater security, usefulness, prosperity, more vitality, fullness of value. Experience shows, however, that modern man has not been brought up to know how to use his power properly,[16] since the tremendous technological growth is not accompanied by the development of the human being in the ethical-moral dimension with regard especially to responsibility, values and conscience. Contrary to the assumptions of modern anthropology, reality, goodness, truth and beauty do not flow spontaneously from the sheer power of technology and economics. Instead, the fact is that each era strives to develop a limited self-awareness of its limitations. For this reason, it is possible today that mankind fails to recognize the seriousness of the challenges before it, and the possibility that man will misuse his power when it is not “subordinated to the binding norms governing freedom, but only to seemingly necessary norms, namely the benefit and security of tomorrow.”[17]
An important anthropological issue is also to define the personal dignity of man as a conscious and free being, but not fully autonomous. Catholic anthropologists are fully aware that today, first and foremost, human freedom is endangered and becomes distorted when it is entrusted to the blind forces of the subconscious, immediate needs, selfishness and brutal violence. In this sense, it is threatened and defenseless against its own power, which is constantly growing without the proper tools to control it. Thus, Catholic anthropology stresses that man may have superficial mechanisms at his disposal, but in doing so he needs a sufficiently robust ethics, culture and spirituality to truly constrain and keep it in check."[18]
2 Relationships in the human environment
In Catholic anthropology, viewed from an ecological perspective, a very important element is the historical reality of time and space, which conditions human life in the natural environment. In this space-time three basic human relationships are formed and function, closely related to each other: with God, with other people and with the earth. According to the Bible, because of sin, these three essential relationships were broken not only externally, but also within man himself. The harmony between the Creator, humanity and all of creation was destroyed because man attempted to take the place of God (false anthropocentrism), refusing to recognize himself as a limited creation. For this reason, it is significant that St. Francis of Assisi's lived harmony with all creatures was interpreted as the healing of this rupture.[19]
The example of St. Francis shows that when the heart is truly open to universal communion and the creation of relationships, nothing and no one is excluded from this brotherhood. Therefore, it is true that indifference or cruelty to other creatures of this world always translates in some way into the way we treat other people. The heart is one, and the same “spiritual poverty” that leads to the abuse of animals will inevitably manifest itself in relations with other people.[20] No person can consider himself a truly loving person if he excludes from his interests some part of reality. For everything is interconnected, and therefore all people are united as brothers and sisters in a magnificent pilgrimage, united by the love that God bestows on each of His creatures, and which unites each person with his brother sun and moon, sister river, and mother Earth.[21]
Love for the entire universe, with its diverse relationships, should be rooted in love for God, whose inexhaustible richness is displayed by creation. According to St. Thomas, the multiplicity and variety of creation is the work of the design of the first Creator-God, who willed that “what is not given to one, for the representation of God's goodness, from another may be supplemented,” since His goodness “cannot be exhaustively represented by a single creature.”[22] The condition for discovering the richness of creation, therefore, is to grasp the diversity of things in their manifold relations.[23] A full understanding of the meaning and sense of each creation, therefore, requires a recognition of the whole, creator-savior plan of God.[24]
3 The role of relationships in cognition of man and the world
At the root of rational cognition of man and the world are the fundamental questions: “Who is man and what is his meaning? What is his good and what is his evil?” (Sir 18:8). These questions express the urgent need to find the meaning of existence both at its crucial and decisive stages, as well as in the most ordinary moments. These questions also stimulate man's reason and will to seek a solution that could give life its full meaning. Thus, when the “cause of things” is subjected to a comprehensive study aimed at seeking a definitive and exhaustive answer, human reason reaches its peak and opens up to religion. For religion is the loftiest expression of the human person, since it is the pinnacle of his rational nature. It flows from man's profound pursuit of truth and forms the basis for a free and personal search for the Divine.[25]
The cognition of man and the world may have a purely rational dimension, but for a full understanding of their meaning and significance for man and his existence, faith is also necessary. For the search for truth takes place not only in an individual struggle in the library or laboratory, but also has a communal, relational dimension. Man perfects himself not only through the acquisition of theoretical knowledge of truth, but also through a living relationship with another person, which is expressed through the gift of self and through faithfulness, empowering one to give oneself as a gift. Through this, man finds fullness of certainty in the truth and security in life. The rational knowledge of truth should therefore be based on faith, the basis of which is trust between persons: by believing, a person trusts in the truth that the other person shows him.[26] The fullness of truth is thus reached through others, in dialogue with and for others. Seeking the truth and sharing it with others is an important social service that people of science, especially those professing the Christian faith, are called to in a special way.[27]
A. The Trinity and the relationship between creatures
The model of all relationships in which human beings function is the Holy Trinity. The Divine Persons are relationships in their own right, and the world created in the image of God is a network of relationships. Creatures are directed toward God, and a feature of all living beings is the pursuit of another creation, so that in the universe one can find innumerable enduring relationships that are intertwined."[28] One of the important tasks of Catholic anthropology should therefore be to learn about the relationships and the many connections that exist between creatures in order to seek and discover the key to human self-realization. For the human person can develop, mature and sanctify himself by entering into relationships, thus transcending himself to live in communion with God, with other persons and with all creatures. In this way, the believer embraces in his life the Trinitarian dynamic that God has imprinted in him from the beginning of his existence. Everything in creation is connected, and therefore this establishment of ever new relationships leads man to mature in the spirituality of global solidarity that emanates from the mystery of the Trinity."[29]
B. Man's relationship with creation
Nature is often treated by modern anthropologists only as a system to be known, analyzed and managed. In contrast, Catholic anthropologists, reaching back to the teaching of the Bible, treat “creation” as a nature intimately connected with God's plan of love, in which every being has value and meaning. Creation, therefore, can only be fully understood as a gift from a loving Father, as a reality illuminated by love, calling every human being into universal communion and forming relationships with other human beings."[30]
Catholic anthropology, thanks primarily to the teaching of the Bible, as well as the scientific achievements it draws on, is free from the ever-repeated attempts to mythologize nature. Without ceasing to admire it for its magnificence and vastness, it no longer ascribes to it a divine character. In this way, the duties of man, a rational and free being, to all creation are further emphasized. A return to nature, however, must not come at the expense of limiting the consciousness, freedom and responsibility of man, who is part of the world and has a duty to develop his skills to protect the world and develop his potential. If believers recognize the value and fragility of nature, and at the same time respect the abilities given to them by the Creator, they can put an end today to the modern myth of unlimited material progress, which in effect destroys the balance in the ecosystem and consequently threatens man himself. A fragile world with man called by God to reign in it thus poses a new and urgent challenge to human intelligence, but also to faith, so that believers can reorient, shape and limit their power over creation."[31]
The aforementioned demythologization of nature in the Christian vision of creation gives believers an effective defense against idolatry, i.e., the worship of worldly powers, and also provides arguments against the false anthropocentrism of modern anthropology. Through faith in the Creator God, the Christian is put in his rightful place and does not strive to be the absolute ruler of the earth. Lack of faith in God the Creator, on the other hand, leads to man's desire to impose his own laws and his own interests on reality again and again."[32]
C. Christians' relationship with other people
Catholic anthropology, whose source is Revelation, Tradition and the Magisterium, shows Christians the possibilities of participating in the fulfillment of God's “providential” plans for all humanity. This is not just about individual involvement, much less individualistic involvement, as if development were possible through the isolated efforts of everyone. True development requires the involvement of all and everyone, especially members of the Catholic Church. For cooperation on the development of the whole and each person is the duty of all to all, and should at the same time be universal throughout the world: East, West, North and South, or, to use the terms used today, in different “worlds.” If, on the other hand, one tries to realize development in only one part or in “one world,” one does so at the expense of others. The same happens if development begins to take place without taking into account the rights of others, which leads to overdevelopment and its distortion. Therefore, individual peoples and nations have the right to their own full development, which, while encompassing economic and social aspects, should also take into account their cultural identity and openness to transcendent reality. At the same time, the Magisterium stresses that the need for development cannot be used as a pretext for imposing one's way of life (ideologized totalitarianism) or one's religious faith (proselytism) on others."[33]
4 True integral anthropocentrism
In the concept of integral Catholic anthropology with ecological elements, a new style of Christian life in harmony with the laws of nature should be developed. Modern Catholics are threatened by the practical relativism that characterizes today's era, which is “even more dangerous than doctrinal relativism.”[34] When human beings put themselves at the center, they end up giving absolute priority to what is temporarily convenient, and all the rest becomes relative. The cause of relativism is the ubiquity of the technocratic paradigm and the glorification of unlimited human power, which makes everything meaningless if it does not serve their own immediate interests. There is a certain logic to this, which helps to show how mutually reinforcing the different attitudes that cause simultaneous degradation of the natural and social environment."[35]
According to J. Ratzinger, relativism is a derivative of absolute pluralism based on secular ideology, which tries to remove Christianity from the consciousness of modern people. According to him, religion wants to close rather to the private sphere, and then Christians begin to think that Christianity is only one among many voices, and therefore they too should not bring their personal beliefs to the political scene. This phenomenon is occurring today in both the United States and Western Europe. The relativization of truth leads to a kind of schizophrenia. Thus, for example, Catholic politicians, who privately want to be faithful Catholics, when appearing in public are convinced that they should not bring their personal views into the public sphere, explaining this by the need to respect pluralism. [36]
The culture of relativism, promoted by modern anthropology, leads to various social pathologies, such as forced labor, debt slavery, abandonment of the elderly, sexual abuse of children. Relativism in social life also leads to a distorted understanding of the invisible power of the market to regulate the economy even at the price of harmful effects on society and nature. Pope Francis then poses a concrete question: If there are no objective truths or fixed principles, except for the satisfaction of one's own aspirations and immediate needs, what limits can be placed on human trafficking, criminal organizations, drug smuggling, the trade in “blood diamonds” or the skins of animals threatened with extinction? It is relativist logic that justifies trafficking in the organs of poor people to sell them or use them for research, and is behind the rejection of children because they do not conform to their parents' wishes. The logic of relativism is also the source of the commonly used principle: “use and throw away,” generating a lot of waste simply because of the disordered desire to consume more than is actually needed. Therefore, Catholic anthropology rejects the thesis that political programs or the power of law will suffice to prevent environmentally damaging behavior, because when culture depraves and no objective truth or universally valid principles are no longer recognized, laws will only be understood as arbitrarily imposed and as obstacles to be avoided."[37]
5 Christian life in accordance with the laws of nature and the truths of faith
Catholic anthropology benefits from the achievements of modern scientific research. However, Catholic anthropologists are aware that empirical sciences alone without faith will not fully explain life, the essence of all creatures and all reality. This is impossible for purely methodological reasons. If scientific research and reflection is done in this closed area, aesthetic sensibility, poetry, and the ability of reason to perceive the meaning and purpose of things disappear."[38] In Catholic anthropology, the primary source is Revelation and the Magisterium. Pope Francis notes that classical religious texts can offer meaning for all eras, and possess a motivating force that always opens new horizons. This raises a legitimate question: is it rational and reasonable to remove them into obscurity simply because they were written in the context of religious faith?[39] Indeed, it is naive to think that ethical principles can be presented in a purely abstract way, detached from any context, and that the fact that they appear in religious language does not take away any value from them in public debate. Ethical principles that reason is able to perceive can always recur in different aspects and be expressed in different languages, including religious language."[40]
On the other hand, any technical solution that science would like to bring to people's lives will be powerless in the face of the world's serious problems if humanity loses its direction, if the great motivations that make coexistence, sacrifice, kindness possible are forgotten. Therefore, Catholic anthropology places great emphasis on the activity of believers, so that they live in accordance with their faith and do not contradict it with their actions. In their activities, they should open themselves to God's grace and draw more deeply on what their deepest convictions are about love, justice and peace. A certain obstacle to the realization of this demand may be the historical past, when a wrong understanding of Gospel principles sometimes led Christians to justify abusive treatment of nature or man's despotic rule over creation or wars, injustice and violence. In the face of these manifestations of departure from the Truth, Christians, as believers, should recognize that in this way they have been unfaithful to the treasure of wisdom they should guard. Very often the reason for this disrespect for the Truth was the cultural limitations of different eras, which conditioned this awareness of one's own ethical and spiritual heritage, so it is the return to the sources that allows religions to better respond to current needs."[41]
By contrast, thanks to the development of ecologically oriented Catholic anthropology, ecological awareness of the human environment is increasing. In the ecological activities that are rightly undertaken, concern for the preservation of the natural “habitat” of various animal species threatened with extinction according to the principle that each contributes to the overall balance of the earth has begun to emerge more clearly. Catholic anthropologists, however, point out that it is man who is most important, and more importance should be given to protecting the moral conditions of true human ecology. “Not only was the earth given to man by God to use it with respect for the originally intended good for which it was given to him, but man is also a gift to himself received from God and must therefore respect the natural and moral structure with which he was endowed."[42]
Concluding remarks
The modern world is undergoing very profound changes, and solving the global challenges facing the human family in the new millennium requires taking into account Catholic anthropology and the social teaching of the Church, including the ecological dimension. In today's world, it is up to Catholics to take concerted and coordinated action to make true democracy, based on values, a reality for the people of the 21st century.[43]
Today, ecologically inclined Catholic anthropology is not just a new concept of an integral description of man as a thinking, free, believing person who befriends nature, but it is a historical necessity to defend man from the greatest threat, which is himself.[44] The imposition of a false anthropology without Christ on modern people has led to the fact that man is considered the absolute center of reality. This type of thinking has taken root in modern anthropology and has caused man to take the place of God contrary to the nature of things, forgetting that it is not man who makes God, but God who makes man. Forgetting God led to the abandonment of man, and therefore, in this context, a vast space opened up for the free development of nihilism in the field of philosophy, relativism in the field of theories of cognition and morality, pragmatism and even cynical hedonism in the structure of everyday life.[45] The new concept of ecologically inclined Catholic anthropology creates opportunities for taking action to defend man, whose unchanging goal remains to go to the meeting with the Risen Christ and achieve happy eternal life.
The modern Church in Catholic anthropology turns to man, whom God created and saved out of love. This thought is the center of Catholic anthropology, which today must be constantly developed to become the foundation of a new culture.[46] The new Catholic anthropology should take into account the riches and values of the cultures of today's people and sow Christian values in them.[47] In this area, Polish Catholics can play a very important role, as J. Ratzinger pointed out. “In Poland, there is still a very strong widespread identification with Christianity as one of the foundations of the nation's identity. Christian values - certainly not without internal resistance - remain the voucher of the identity of Polish society, the consciousness of human dignity, in a word, the force that opens the future. (...) The Holy Father, when he was still archbishop of Krakow - we read about this in his latest book - was very concerned about creating an intelligentsia strong in faith and its presence on the intellectual and social levels. This seems to me to be very important for Europe, and especially for Poland: to develop philosophical thought, and one that enters into dialogue with the demands of our time, with all the empirical reality that surrounds us. It is necessary not only to see the compatibility between the faith and the modern vision of the world, but also to demonstrate that the modern Church and the world need a well-formed Catholic intelligentsia. I do not know exactly the problems of the Polish pastoral, but it is important that Polish Catholicism, so strong with the life of faith, also has this intellectual strength, which enters into dialogue with all currents of modern thought. I would like this Polish Catholicism, characterized not only by the strength of faith, but also by the strength of intellect, to be able to play an important role also outside Poland, in the European context."[48]
ECCLESIOLOGY IN ANTHROPOLOGICAL TERMS
Being a Christian is conditioned by both faith in Christ and faith in the Church. A declaration of the type: I believe in Christ, but do not believe in the Church, is illogical, to put it mildly. Faith in Christ cannot be suspended in a “social” vacuum. For if someone declares faith in Christ, but wishes to keep it within the realm of his own person, he is simply selfish, and this alone contradicts the declaration of being a disciple of Christ, who commands to love one's neighbor as oneself. Love of neighbor, therefore, changes the perspective of faith in Christ: for to believe in him means to belong to the ecclesial community, to create and build it, to share its goods with its members, but also to benefit from community goods.
The human dimension of ecclesial faith
Every Christian is first of all, aware of his personal dignity, a human being. Man, as a person, has his own rights, which are not endured by joining the ranks of Christ's disciples. Whoever becomes a Christian is still first a human being, who has his rights in social life. The same applies to participation in the Church community: when someone declares his membership in the Church, he does not divest himself of his personal rights, which entitle him to full participation in social life. For the Church community does not compete with the society in which it functions.[49] One can even formulate this thesis: just as the Christian's humanity is adorned with the splendor of evangelical wisdom and enriched by the grace of faith in Christ, so the human community is enriched by the richness of the faith of the Church community. Being human and belonging to a local society, and being a Christian and belonging to an ecclesiastical community not only are not mutually exclusive, but one can even say that they are mutually conditional: being a Christian presupposes a permanent individual improvement of human nature, with active participation of the community and social activity.
What is the Church?
The question thus posed naturally presupposes answering the primary question: who is the Church. After all, learning about the Church-social institution-requires first defining its communal personality. John Paul II taught that membership in the community of Christ comes from a special call combined with the saving work of grace. Thus, in order to portray this multifaceted community, it is necessary first of all to see Christ, who in some way says to everyone in this community: “follow me” (John 1:43). “It is a community of disciples and followers, each of whom in some way - sometimes very clearly realized and consistent, and sometimes poorly realized and very inconsistent - follows Christ. In this is manifested at the same time the thoroughly “personal” profile and dimension of this community, which - despite all the deficiencies of community life in the human sense of the word - is a community precisely by the fact that everyone in some way constitutes it with Christ himself, if only by bearing on his soul the indestructible mark of a Christian."[50]
The Church is made up of Christians, so its personal-community vision can be presented by first solving the problem of Christian identity. A Christian is certainly everyone who is baptized, because he receives the indelible mark of belonging to Christ. However, it is one thing to become a Christian, because this involves a declaration of faith (following Christ), and another to church it - fulfilling the duties of faith. The Second Vatican Council teaches about this: “Those are fully incorporated into the community of the Church who, having the Spirit of Christ, fully accept the rules of the Church and all the means of salvation established in it, and in its visible organism remain in communion with Christ ruling the Church through the Pope and the bishops, a communion consisting in the bonds of profession of faith, the sacraments and ecclesiastical authority and communion (communio).”[51]
In light of these words, however, a clear distinction must be made between two aspects of ecclesiastical incarnation: incorporation into the ecclesial community and membership in the community of the Church. From “ecclesial incarnation” are born the consequences of belonging to the ecclesial community. Belonging to the ecclesial community means that a Christian becomes the Church, but on the condition that he is first received (incorporated) into the ecclesial community. This takes place in the sacrament of baptism. Incorporation into the Church does not have to be conscious, as some critics of the Church try to suggest. Through baptism, administered to infants, the Church community welcomes a new member, that is, it gives the newly baptized person access to the graces that are the fruit of the faith of the rest of the Church. In a way, this is expressed in the prayer for peace at Mass: “take heed not of our sins, but of the faith of your Church.” For the faith of the Church is the good of all who are incorporated into the Church community, and participation in its riches is unconditional. Incorporation into the Church, therefore, does not have to be deserved, and thus acceptance into the Church does not have to be an expression of informed consent. For it is incarnation, that is, participation “with the body” in the community of the Church, with access to all graces and, above all, with openness to the grace of Christ's salvation.
From incarnation into the ecclesial community is born only membership in the ecclesial community, which means establishing close interpersonal relations with members of the community and consciously and voluntarily accepting ecclesiastical duties. Belonging to the ecclesial community means, in essence, “being the Church” through one's “heart.” The Second Vatican Council also speaks on this subject: “He, however, does not attain salvation, even though he is incorporated into the Church, who, without abiding in love, remains in the bosom of the Church ‘body’ but not ‘heart.’”[52]
When the concept of “heart” is invoked in pastoral ecclesiology, it should be seen as an attempt to specify the spiritual nature of the Church. “Corporeally” the Church is a human community, a fact that is not disputed and is very easy to recognize, as its institutional structure testifies. For this reason, the external image of the Church can be derived from a sociological premise: “The Church, as a human society, can be studied and defined in those terms used by the sciences of any human society."[53]
On the other hand, the essence of the Church, which has a corporeal-spiritual nature, can only be defined from the perspective of love, which is why the concept of “heart” is needed, which is considered the source of the spiritualization of love. The Church, as a social institution (body), exists only in close, inseparable connection with the spiritual dimension. In other words, the Church without the divine character ceases to exist as a saving community. A church without the spirit simply does not exist, and calling any institution a “church” does not make it a saving community. On the other hand, it should be clearly noted that in the divine dimension the Church, having a spiritual nature, can live and function outside the social dimension. Of course, this is only possible in an eschatological perspective. However, as long as the Church operates in earthly reality, it functions in the social dimension in the same way as the human soul, which is one with the body, but can continue to live after death (after the cessation of natural life activities). The essence of the Church living in earthly reality demands both spiritual and human nature, since one conditions the other.
The Church was founded (born) by Christ, but can only be (live and act) by the Holy Spirit. A closer explanation of the Church's personality, in which nature and spirit are united, however, requires precise answers to the questions: is the Church “formed” or “born”? Does the Church “become” or simply “is”? The answer to the first question is provided by John Paul II, referring to the Church's birth in his definition of pastoral theology. Pastoral theology studies the Church that “gives birth” to the Church every day, as St. Bede the Venerable aptly puts it.[54] The Church, therefore, is not created, since its nature is to exist in the manner of giving birth. That is, to answer the second question, the Church does not become, but is simply “birthed.” Thus, if we consider that the Church as a saving community is birthed in a current, changeable reality (historical context: space and time), then its spiritual nature must be unchanging, that is, non-spatial and timeless. Thus, it can be conceded that through birthing, the Church exists as an independent human community, whose source of life and power is its spirit (spiritual nature). The social existence of the Church is therefore subject to all human limitations (belonging with the body), while its spiritual nature enables its members to exist (being - abiding) in love (belonging with the heart). However, mere belonging “with the body” to the Church makes no sense, since the ecclesial community is constituted by supernatural love, and not by the institution, which is the human dimension of the Church. Supernatural saving love is perfect (unchanging), while the human dimension of the ecclesial community, although belonging to its essence, is imperfect and changeable.
The social, “corporeal” dimension of the ecclesial community is a necessity by virtue of the corporeality of its members, so in its essence the Church is both spiritual and corporeal, just as man is a spiritual-corporeal unity, because he has both spirit and body. Man's person is spirit and body, but the body is of no use if man is spiritually devastated.[55] It is therefore of no use to improve man's human nature without spiritual growth. This is also the case with the Church - reforming the Church, according to the spirit of civilization progress, is of no use to the Church if spiritual growth (development) does not come first. The source, principle, goal and means of spiritual growth, both of man and of the Church, is participation and abiding in supernatural saving love.
Thus, the Church can be described in social (external) terms, since the ecclesial community is born through the incarnation and membership of its members. However, for the whole community of God's people and for each of its members, it is not only some specific “social belonging” that is important, but a specific “vocation” is important for each and everyone. [56] “And all the sons of the Church should remember that they owe their privileged state not to their own merits, but to the special grace of Christ, and if they do not cooperate with this grace in thought, word and deed, not only will they not be saved, but they will be judged even more severely.”[57] Thus, whoever treats his membership in the Church only in social terms becomes an observer, not a participant in Church life. Spectators do not share in the grace of salvation, even if they have to pay dearly for the right to be a spectator. The grace of salvation in the Church is a partially conditional gift. This means that one does not have to deserve it (it is a gift) to receive it, but at the same time its value in the life of each person is conditioned by the personal spiritual effort of the Christian to grow and bear fruit in the Church community.
Belonging to the Church with the heart
The grace of salvation is supposed to transform a person's spirit first, so it can happen that its fruits are only revealed with great difficulty on the “outside.” Between spiritual growth and human development there is an equality of importance and the role they are to fulfill. While not favoring either of them in the plane of their subject value, they should also be given equal time. Regardless of the inner feelings of individual Christians and the external picture of their lives, human flourishing and religious growth happen simultaneously but independently.[58] However, it cannot be assumed that the depth of change on the human plane will translate into spiritual effects, and vice versa - the fruitfulness of spiritual change does not directly affect the dynamism of human growth.[59] External behavior reflects neither the level of spiritual life nor the quality of human existence.
This can be illustrated by a proverb from folk wisdom: “He prays under a statue, but he has the devil under his skin.” This is a reference to the separation of spiritual development from personal maturity. How can prayer change a person's behavior in such a way that he does not cease to be himself? If one accepts the premise that prayer serves the formation of a person's spirituality, one cannot at the same time expect spiritual life to change a person to the same extent in the spatial-temporal dimension. This is because its nature requires work and efforts aimed at personality maturity. The more personally mature a person is, the more the fruits of grace will affect spiritual development because grace builds on nature. However, this applies to man's spiritual development.
However, this principle does not have a mirror image. Therefore, it cannot be said that nature builds on grace, nor can it be claimed that grace develops nature. For the richness of grace does not change the essence of nature, which is subject to the effects of original sin and will remain marked by human weakness before the resurrection of the body. Grace, on the other hand, can complement nature, and it is also possible for nature to follow grace. In this sense, one can speak of following Christ: “Whoever wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me."[60] Following Jesus, man becomes His disciple, a Christian, but his life is still subject to the laws of nature, and he is still exposed to temptations. Following Jesus, man approaches the kingdom of God, but after all, he does not leave the world, and often even more still, he enters the world. Man's life situation is thus subject to all the laws of nature, but at the same time spiritual development changes the nature of his relationship to the world. The proverb quoted above thus contains an important message. Prayer alone will not change a person, even the most pious. Casting out the devil, who is under the skin, demands love, but not only spiritual, Christ-like love - this one is the first and most important, but also love of neighbor, which every Christian learns himself from the Gospel, tries to understand it and live it every day. [61]
Love is also the principle by which the Church functions in two dimensions: as an “ontological” salvific community and an “incidental” human community. The primary and only task of the Church is the salvific mission, which the ecclesial community carries out by performing salvific functions and complementary tasks. At the same time, it should be added that as long as the Church functions in earthly reality, it becomes an increasingly conscious community of life and action, which is constantly changing. Every pastoral initiative, at every level of organization, serves the Church's fulfillment of its salvific mission and its true renewal insofar as it is based on a solid awareness of vocation and responsibility for that special grace, unique and unrepeatable, by which every Christian in the community of the People of God builds up the Body of Christ. “It is necessary to apply this principle, which is the key rule of all Christian “praxis,” apostolic and pastoral “practice,” the practice of the interior life and of the social life - to everyone and to each according to the proper proportion. And the Pope must apply it to himself, and every Bishop. Priests, monks and nuns must remain faithful to this principle. Spouses and parents, women and men, people of different states and professions, from the highest social position to those who perform the simplest work, must shape their lives according to it."[62]
Remaining in the bosom of the Church “with the heart,” therefore, means accepting the gift of being Church. Paul VI explains this truth by referring to the comparison of the Church to a building. This comparison was used by Christ, indicating that He Himself is its author and creator. This construction is based on a man who by his nature is fragile and flawed, but who through Christ is changed as if into a strong rock that, with God's help, will never fail."[63] Belonging to the Church ‘with the heart’ therefore means believing in her divine, spiritual nature, which is stronger than her corporeality. Thus, if a Christian professes faith in the Church, he identifies himself with what is divine, or spiritual and perfect, in the Church. Such faith gives rise to a vocation to “royal service,” which commands every Christian, following the example of Christ, to demand of himself; to demand precisely what he is called and committed to by God's grace. Such fidelity to the vocation received by Christ from God brings with it a solidarity responsibility for the Church, to which Vatican II wants to educate all Christians. For in the Church as a salvific community, guided from within by the action of the Holy Spirit, everyone has “his own gift.”[64] This “gift,” as each Christian's own vocation, is also his own participation in Christ's salvific work and at the same time serves others, builds up the Church and builds up fraternities in the various spheres of human existence on earth."[65]
I believe in the Church... These words express the greatness of man. For professing faith in the Church means that man accepts the gift of becoming a miracle of creation. At the same time, it is an expression of man's greatest desire to become “immortal,” which in the language of faith means: to attain eternal life. Every confession of faith in the Church is at the same time a reinforcement of the fruits of Baptism, through which man has been implanted in the Mystical Body of Christ, that is, in the Church, and has been elevated to a higher level of life, moreover, to a supernatural rebirth, so that through it he can know from experience the happiness of the adopted children of God, the dignity proper to the sisters and brothers of Christ, the blessed state, that is, the grace and joy of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Through Baptism, people are “called to a new life in which nothing human is lost, except for getting rid of the unhappy state of original sin, and everything human can be elevated so that it forms the most beautiful patterns of perfection and bears abundant and holy fruit. Thus, the Christian name and the reception of Baptism should deeply and joyfully stir the consciousness of every Christian, so that, as in the days of the early Church, he would regard it as an illumination which, bringing into his soul the vivifying light of Divine Truth, would open heaven, brighten his mortal life and give him the power to walk towards seeing God in eternal happiness."[66]
Faith in the Church, therefore, leads to the Christian's self-determination. The profession of ecclesial faith gives the Christian the certainty that faith in Christ is true. This is because faith in the Church opens a person's heart and allows him to experience faith in Christ as being with Christ in everyday life. If someone asks a follower of Christ the question: are you a true Christian, that person can answer: I am a Christian because I have opened my heart to the Church, in which Christ is and acts.

[1] “As for the ‘life of faith,’ the Second Vatican Council explains that ‘the whole of the faithful, having the anointing from the Holy Spirit, cannot go astray in the faith,’ and ‘this particular property of theirs is revealed by the supernatural sense of faith of the whole people when, beginning with the bishops down to the last of the lay faithful, it reveals a universal concord in matters of faith and morals.’” Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Instruction on the Vocation of the Theologian in the Church Donum veritatis (May 24, 1990), Vatican 1990, no. 4.
[2] John Paul II, Encyclical Redemptor hominis (March 4, 1979), Vatican 1979, no. 19. In philosophy, the thought of one man can serve the progress of humanity. But the true richness of human thought is born from the meeting of philosophy and theology and the mutual exchange of their achievements. Theology, having received as a gift the openness and originality by which it can exist as a science of faith, has certainly urged reason to remain open to the radical newness contained in God's revelation. This has undoubtedly benefited philosophy, as it has been able to open up new horizons, revealing to it further issues for reason to explore ever more deeply. [2] John Paul II, Encyclical Fides et ratio (September 14, 1998), Vatican 1998, no. 101.
[3] Ibid. “(Galileo) clearly declared that the two truths, i.e., faith and science, can never contradict each other. “Scripture and nature come from the Word of God. The former as dictated by the Holy Spirit, the latter as a faithful executor of God's commands,” he wrote in his letter to Father Benedetto Castelli on December 21, 1613. And the Second Vatican Council does not teach otherwise, but uses similar words when it said: “methodical investigation in all scientific research, as long as it is conducted ... with respect for moral norms, will really never be opposed to faith, for secular matters and matters of faith derive their origin from the same God” (Gaudium et spes, 36). Galileo felt in his scientific research the presence of God, who stimulated, anticipated and assisted him in his intuitions, working in the depths of his mind.” [3] John Paul II, Address to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences (May 10, 1979), in Computer Program “Teaching of the Catholic Church,” Krakow 2003, no. 2.
[4] John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Europa (June 28, 2003), Vatican 2003, no. 7.
[5] Benedict XVI, Last Conversations, Krakow 2016, p. 269.
[6] John Paul II, Encyclical Fides et ratio, no. 5.
[7] Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Instruction on the Vocation of the Theologian in the Church Donum veritatis, no. 6.
[8] John Paul II, Message to the Participants of the Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Council for Culture Christian Humanism November 19, 1999), https://opoka.org.pl/biblioteka/W/WP/jan_pawel_ii/przemowienia/pr_kultury_19111999.html (accessed March 25, 2019), no. 2.
[9] Francis, Encyclical Laudato si (May 24, 2015), Vatican 2015, no. 81.
[10] Francis, Encyclical Laudato si, no. 119.
[11] R. Guardini, The End of Modern Times. The World and the Person. Freedom, grace, fate, Cracow 1969, p. 53.
[12] John Paul II, Encyclical Centesimus annus (May 1, 1991), Vatican 1991, no. 38.
[13] Francis, Encyclical Laudato si, no. 116. The correct interpretation of the concept of man as “master” of the universe is to understand him in the sense of “responsible steward.”
[14] Benedict XVI, Message for the World Day of Peace (December 8, 2009), http://w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/pl/messages/peace/documents/hf_ben-xvi_mes_20091208_xliii-world-day-peace.html (accessed March 25, 2019), no. 2.
[15] Francis, Encyclical Laudato si, no. 118 Human life is a dialogue between God and man, which takes place in deeds. In this dialogue, the material world and history are placed by God between Him and human beings as a translation of His inner speaking to them. This world and history are also the means in and through which man's attention is drawn to this inner voice of God, but at the same time they are the environment in which man has the opportunity to respond to the mission that creation has placed upon him. C. J. van der Poel, In Search of Human Values, Warsaw 1979, p. 75.
[16] R. Guardini, The End of Modern Times. The world and the person. Freedom, grace, fate, Cracow 1969, p. 68.
[17] Romano Guardini, The End of Modern Times. The World and the Person. Freedom, grace, fate, pp. 87-88.
[18] Francis, Encyclical Laudato si, no. 105.
[19] Francis, Encyclical Laudato si, no. 66.
[20] Any cruelty to any creature is contrary to human dignity. Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2418.
[21] Francis, Encyclical Laudato si, no. 92.
[22] Summa Theologiae I, q. 47, art. 1.
[23] Summa Theologiae I, q. 47, art. 2, ad. 1; art. 3.
[24] Francis, Encyclical Laudato si, no. 86. “The interdependence of creatures is willed by God. The sun and the moon, the cedar and the little flower, the eagle and the sparrow: the immeasurable variety and diversity of creatures means that none of them is sufficient for itself. They exist only in mutual dependence on each other to complement each other, serving one another.” Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 340.
[25] John Paul II, General Audience, Oct. 19, 1983, L'Osservatore Romano, Polish edition, 1983, no. 10, pp. 23-24.
[26] John Paul II, Encyclical Fides et ratio, no. 32.
[27] Jan Paweł II, Address to Rectors of Higher Education Institutions in Poland, Toruń, June 7, 1999, https://opoka.org.pl/biblioteka/W/WP/jan_pawel_ii/podroze/pl-19990607_jp_uczelnie.html (accessed March 25, 2019), no. 5.
[28] Cf. St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae I, q. 11, art. 3; q. 21, art. 1, ad 3; q. 47, art. 3.
[29] Francis, Encyclical Laudato si, no. 240.
[30] Francis, Encyclical Laudato si, no. 76.
[31] Francis, Encyclical Laudato si, no. 78.
[32] Francis, Encyclical Laudato si , no. 75.
[33] John Paul II, Encyclical Sollicitudo rei socialis (December 30, 1987), Vatican1987, no. 32.
[34] Francis, Encyclical Evangelii gaudium (November 24, 2013), Vatican 2013, no. 80.
[35] Francis, Encyclical Laudato si, no. 122.
[36] Christianity is a path we should also follow against the current! With Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, President of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, interviewed by Marek Lehnert, Bogumił Łoziński, Marcin Przeciszewski (KAI - July 2004). http://niedziela.pl/artykul/1491/Chrzescijanstwo-jest-droga-ktora-winnismy (accessed July 8, 2017).
[37] Francis, Encyclical Laudato si, no. 123
[38] Cf. Francis, Encyclical Lumen fidei, no. 577: “The light of faith, because of its connection with the truth of love, is not alien to the material world, since love is always experienced in body and soul; the light of faith is an incarnate light, having its source in the luminous life of Jesus. It also illuminates matter, trusts in its order, and knows that in it a wider and wider path of harmony and understanding opens up. Thus, faith exerts a beneficent influence on the outlook of science: it invites the scientist to remain open to reality with all its inexhaustible richness. Faith stimulates the critical sense, because it does not allow research to be satisfied with its formulas, and helps them understand that nature is always greater. By encouraging wonder in the face of the mystery of creation, faith broadens the horizons of reason to better illuminate the world unveiled before scientific research.”
[39] Francis, Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii gaudium, no. 256.
[40] Francis, Encyclical Laudato si, no. 199.
[41] Francis, Encyclical Laudato si, no. 200.
[42] John Paul II, Encyclical Centesimus annus, no. 38.
[43] John Paul II, Message to the Participants of the Sixth Plenary Session of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences Democracy and Values ( February 23, 2000), https://opoka.org.pl/biblioteka/W/WP/jan_pawel_ii/przemowienia/demokracja_23022000.htm (accessed March 25, 2019), no. l4.
[44] The current culture, often devoid of Christian roots, disconnects people from basic values, among them hope. Many modern people in search of hope believe that this need can be met fleetingly and impermanently. And so hope, limited to an earthly space, closed to transcendence, is identified, for example, with the paradise promised by science and technology, or with various forms of messianism, with happiness of a hedonistic nature provided by consumerism, or an imaginary and artificial one provided by drugs, or with certain forms of millenarianism, with the enchantment of Eastern philosophies, with the search for esoteric forms of spirituality, with various New Age currents. John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Europa, no. 10.
[45] Ibid, no. 9.
[46] John Paul II, Encyclical Fides et ratio, no. 59.
[47] John Paul II, Message to the Participants of the Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Council for Culture Christian Humanism, no. 2.
[48] Christianity is a path that we should also follow against the current! With Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, President of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, interviewed by Marek Lehnert, Bogumił Łoziński, Marcin Przeciszewski (KAI - July 2004). http://niedziela.pl/artykul/1491/Chrzescijanstwo-jest-droga-ktora-winnismy (accessed July 8, 2017).
[49] “The Church is deeply rooted in human society, since she resides in its bosom; from it she receives her members, from it she receives the priceless treasures of human culture, shares its destiny and brings about its prosperity.” [50] Paul VI, Encyclical Ecclesiam suam 6 August 1964, 26.
[50] John Paul II, Encyclical Redemptor hominis 4 III 1979, 21.
[51] Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 14.
[52] Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 14. Cf. St. Augustine, "Bapt. c. Donat." V, 28, 39: PL 43, 197: Certe manifestum est, id quod dicitur, in Ecclesia intus et foris, in corde, non in corpore cogitandum (it is in any case clear that the saying: in the Church inside and outside, is to be understood: in the heart, not in the body). Cf. ibid, III, 19, 26: col. 152, V, 18, 24: col . 189; “In Io.”, Tr . 61, 2: PL. 35, 1800.
[53] John Paul II, Encyclical Redemptor hominis 4 III 1979, 21.
[54] John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation Pastores dabo vobis 25 III 1992, 57. St. Bede the Venerable: Nam et Ecclesia quotidie gignit Ecclesiam, Explanatio Apocalypsis, lib. II, 12: PL 93, 166.
[55] “What shall it profit a man, if he gains the whole world, and suffers injury to his soul?” (Mt 16:26).
[56] John Paul II, Encyclical Redemptor hominis 4 III 1979, 21.
[57] Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 14. Lk 12:48: “But from everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required” (cf. Mt 5:19-20; 7:21-22; 25:41-46; Jkb 2:14).
[58] The layperson can be assigned two tasks - to conquer space and to sanctify time. The problem of time can only be solved by sanctifying time. For humans alone, time is elusive; and for people connected to God, time is a masked eternity. A. Heschel, Sanctify time, in Spiritual Life. Prayer in Everyday Life 39(2004), p. 24.

Anthropology, as an interdisciplinary field of knowledge, draws on the humanities, social sciences and natural sciences. As the term itself indicates: it is the study of man as a single, unique “person.” The Christian religion also has its own view of man, whose anthropology draws on the achievements of theology, philosophy, religiology. Catholic anthropology, on the other hand, is a separate science, whose primary source of truth about man is Revelation and the Magisterium of the Church.
The starting point in Catholic anthropology is the thesis that it is first necessary to know God, who has revealed himself in the Person of the Son of God, Jesus Christ, in order to then, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit,[1] gain knowledge about man. Such knowledge is possible within the framework of theology, which no one can practice “as a collection of his own mere opinions, but must be aware that he remains in special communion with that mission of Truth for which the Church is responsible.”[2] Catholic anthropology is therefore characterized by ecclesiality, that is, fidelity to the tradition of the People of God with all its richness and multiplicity of knowledge and cultures united by the unity of faith.[3]
In the context of the modern progress of civilization, the development of science and the ubiquity of modern technology, including artificial intelligence, an important question emerges: how should Catholic anthropology develop today? John Paul II, analyzing the situation of believers, in his post-synodal exhortation “Ecclesia in Europa,” stressed that today “in many public spheres it is easier to declare oneself agnostic than to declare oneself a believer; the impression is given that unbelief is natural, while faith requires a social authentication that is neither obvious nor predictable.”[4] Benedict XVI, on the other hand, already as Pope Senior, confirmed the validity of these claims, as in “Last Conversations” he said: “That we are no longer in tune with modern culture, and that Christian models are no longer the decisive guideline, is obvious. We are now living within a positivist and agnostic morality that is becoming increasingly intolerant of Christianity. Hence, the society of the West, Europe in any case, will simply not be Christian."[5]
In the face of such threats, modern Catholics need a new Catholic anthropology, in which they will find an intelligible answer to the eternal questions about the meaning of life and death, the dignity of the human person and, above all, the meaning of faith in God the Creator and Savior. Starting from these questions, “reason felt even more strongly the desire for ever broader and deeper knowledge. As a result, complex systems of thought were built, which resulted in the development of various fields of knowledge, fostering progress in culture and history. Anthropology, logic, natural sciences, history, language - in a way, the entire field of knowledge was covered by this process. Positive achievements, however, should not obscure the fact that this reason, focused unilaterally on the search for knowledge about man as an entity, seems to have forgotten that man's vocation is to pursue the truth that transcends himself. Without reference to it, everyone relies on the arbitrariness of human judgment, and his existence as a person is judged solely by pragmatic criteria, based essentially on experiential knowledge, under the misconception that everything should be subordinated to technology. The result is that - instead of expressing as best it can the pursuit of truth - reason bows to itself under the burden of such extensive knowledge, so that day by day it becomes more and more incapable of directing its attention to higher reality and dare not reach for the truth of being. Modern philosophy has forgotten that being should be the object of its study, and has focused on human cognition. Instead of exploiting man's capacity to know the truth, it prefers to emphasize his limitations and the conditions to which he is subjected."[6]
The danger of arriving at false conclusions also threatens anthropological research, which is why the Catholic anthropologist is bound by the same principle as the theologian, whose special task is to gain, in conjunction with the Teaching Office, an ever-deeper understanding of the Word of God contained in inspired Scripture and transmitted through the living Tradition of the Church. Faith requires an intellectual foundation, so by its very nature it seeks to understand, to reveal to man the truth about his destiny and the way to achieve it. Therefore, if even the expression in words of revealed truth exceeds human capabilities, and if concepts are imperfect in the face of its unfathomable greatness, nevertheless, for reason, which is a God-given instrument for knowing truth, it is an invitation to enter into its Light, which will make it possible to understand what it has believed. Catholic anthropology, like theology, is thus the kind of science that, responding to the call of truth, seeks an understanding of faith."[7]
Therefore, modern Catholics should take a renewed interest in Catholic anthropology. This is all the more necessary because in modern society, concepts of man are being created that distance themselves from the truth and exclude God in the belief that the primacy of man is thus affirmed in the name of his supposed freedom and full and free development. In this way, these ideologies deprive man of his constitutive dimension as a person created in the image and likeness of God. This grave mutilation is a real threat to man today, for it leads to seeing him without any reference to transcendence. [8] Pope Francis, recognizing these threats to the human person as an important challenge to environmental protection as well, has placed new ecological impulses to the modernization of Catholic anthropology in his encyclical “Laudato si.” His teaching refocuses anthropological research on the search for man's place in creation and the resulting consequences.
1 Catholic vs. “modern” anthropocentrism
According to Catholic anthropocentrism, like all of creation, man, who is subject to evolutionary processes, carries with him a certain newness that cannot be explained by evolution and other open systems. Every human being possesses and represents a personal identity, capable of entering into relationship and dialogue with God himself and with others. Man's capacity for reflection, reasoning, creativity, interpretation, artistic creativity and other original capacities show his certain uniqueness, which goes beyond the physical and biological realm of life. The qualitative novelty signified by the emergence of a personal being within the material universe presupposes the direct action of God, who, in creating man, enables and calls him at the same time to establish personal relationships. Catholic anthropology, viewed from an ecological perspective, based on the Bible, Tradition and the Magisterium, therefore recognizes the human person as a subject who can never be reduced to the category of an object.[9]
The subjectivity of the human person orientates man towards other people, with whom he has various relationships. This includes his relationship with all of creation. For this reason, Catholic anthropology treats the ecological crisis as an external manifestation of problems related to respect for the personal dignity of man, as well as the broader ethical, cultural and spiritual crisis of modernity. Consistently, therefore, Catholic anthropologists argue that the healing of man's relationship with nature and the environment is impossible without recognizing the dignity of every human person and healing all basic human relationships. This means that the opening of man to “you,” enabling him to know, love and dialogue, docks the great nobility of man. It is this that enables him to have a proper relationship with created reality while preserving the social dimension of the human being, as well as his transcendent dimension, his openness to God's “You.” Thus, the concept of ecological Catholic anthropology emphasizes that the quality of man's relationship with the environment is determined by his relationship with God and his relationship with other people. According to Francis, undermining this truth leads to romantic individualism hidden under the mask of ecological beauty and suffocating confinement to immanence.[10]
In opposition to Catholic anthropology today appears an anthropology based on modern anthropocentrism, which has led to placing technical factors above human beings. The reason for this is that man no longer views nature “as an ever-present norm, let alone as life's refuge. He looks at it without any ready assumptions, matter-of-factly, as the place and material of his creativity, to which he devotes everything, without caring what comes out of it."[11] This weakens the value that the world has in itself. Burdensome consequences ensue. For if a person does not discover his true place, he also does not properly understand himself and leads to a denial of his own nature. This is why Catholic anthropology accepts the principle that “not only has the earth been given to man by God to use with respect for the originally intended good for which it was given to him, but also man is for himself a gift received from God and therefore must respect the natural and moral structure with which he has been equipped.”[12]
The rejection in modern anthropology of man's relationship with God leads to a false anthropocentrism that threatens man himself first and foremost, disrupts his sense of community and dooms his attempts to strengthen social bonds and relationships to failure. For this reason, Catholic anthropology pays special attention to a peculiar oxymoron, which shows that the limitations of earthly reality can at the same time provide opportunities for the concrete human being for more healthy and fruitful human and social development. The inadequate presentation of these basic assumptions of Catholic anthropology in ecological terms has led to the promotion of misconceptions about man's relationship with the world. As a result, a Promethean dream of world dominion thus emerged in modern anthropology, which gave the impression that concern for nature is a matter for weak people.[13]
Catholic anthropology is in clear opposition to modern anthropology primarily on the level of ideological dispute. The point is that many modern anthropologists succumb to a kind of technocratic exaltation that does not grant other beings their proper value, to the point of denying any special value to the human person. Therefore, Catholic anthropologists emphasize that humanity must be valued first, because without accepting the unconditionally defined dignity of the human person, it is impossible to form his new relationship with nature. Therefore, there is no true ecology without a proper anthropology. When the human person is considered merely as some further entity among others, coming as it were from a game of chance or physical determinism, “the danger arises that the consciousness of responsibility will be weakened in consciences.”[14] It would also be false to replace modern anthropocentrism with “biocentrism,” for this would mean adding a new disorder that not only fails to solve the problems of the human person and his place in creation, but will generate new ones. Thus, an ecologically oriented Catholic anthropology stresses that it is impossible to require man's engagement with the world if one does not simultaneously recognize and emphasize his relationship with God, who is the source of his special abilities of cognition, will, freedom and responsibility."[15]
The second important area of confrontation between Catholic anthropology and modern anthropocentrism is man's relationship to the progress of civilization. In modern anthropology, a false assumption is made, according to which progress is an increase in power giving greater security, usefulness, prosperity, more vitality, fullness of value. Experience shows, however, that modern man has not been brought up to know how to use his power properly,[16] since the tremendous technological growth is not accompanied by the development of the human being in the ethical-moral dimension with regard especially to responsibility, values and conscience. Contrary to the assumptions of modern anthropology, reality, goodness, truth and beauty do not flow spontaneously from the sheer power of technology and economics. Instead, the fact is that each era strives to develop a limited self-awareness of its limitations. For this reason, it is possible today that mankind fails to recognize the seriousness of the challenges before it, and the possibility that man will misuse his power when it is not “subordinated to the binding norms governing freedom, but only to seemingly necessary norms, namely the benefit and security of tomorrow.”[17]
An important anthropological issue is also to define the personal dignity of man as a conscious and free being, but not fully autonomous. Catholic anthropologists are fully aware that today, first and foremost, human freedom is endangered and becomes distorted when it is entrusted to the blind forces of the subconscious, immediate needs, selfishness and brutal violence. In this sense, it is threatened and defenseless against its own power, which is constantly growing without the proper tools to control it. Thus, Catholic anthropology stresses that man may have superficial mechanisms at his disposal, but in doing so he needs a sufficiently robust ethics, culture and spirituality to truly constrain and keep it in check."[18]
2 Relationships in the human environment
In Catholic anthropology, viewed from an ecological perspective, a very important element is the historical reality of time and space, which conditions human life in the natural environment. In this space-time three basic human relationships are formed and function, closely related to each other: with God, with other people and with the earth. According to the Bible, because of sin, these three essential relationships were broken not only externally, but also within man himself. The harmony between the Creator, humanity and all of creation was destroyed because man attempted to take the place of God (false anthropocentrism), refusing to recognize himself as a limited creation. For this reason, it is significant that St. Francis of Assisi's lived harmony with all creatures was interpreted as the healing of this rupture.[19]
The example of St. Francis shows that when the heart is truly open to universal communion and the creation of relationships, nothing and no one is excluded from this brotherhood. Therefore, it is true that indifference or cruelty to other creatures of this world always translates in some way into the way we treat other people. The heart is one, and the same “spiritual poverty” that leads to the abuse of animals will inevitably manifest itself in relations with other people.[20] No person can consider himself a truly loving person if he excludes from his interests some part of reality. For everything is interconnected, and therefore all people are united as brothers and sisters in a magnificent pilgrimage, united by the love that God bestows on each of His creatures, and which unites each person with his brother sun and moon, sister river, and mother Earth.[21]
Love for the entire universe, with its diverse relationships, should be rooted in love for God, whose inexhaustible richness is displayed by creation. According to St. Thomas, the multiplicity and variety of creation is the work of the design of the first Creator-God, who willed that “what is not given to one, for the representation of God's goodness, from another may be supplemented,” since His goodness “cannot be exhaustively represented by a single creature.”[22] The condition for discovering the richness of creation, therefore, is to grasp the diversity of things in their manifold relations.[23] A full understanding of the meaning and sense of each creation, therefore, requires a recognition of the whole, creator-savior plan of God.[24]
3 The role of relationships in cognition of man and the world
At the root of rational cognition of man and the world are the fundamental questions: “Who is man and what is his meaning? What is his good and what is his evil?” (Sir 18:8). These questions express the urgent need to find the meaning of existence both at its crucial and decisive stages, as well as in the most ordinary moments. These questions also stimulate man's reason and will to seek a solution that could give life its full meaning. Thus, when the “cause of things” is subjected to a comprehensive study aimed at seeking a definitive and exhaustive answer, human reason reaches its peak and opens up to religion. For religion is the loftiest expression of the human person, since it is the pinnacle of his rational nature. It flows from man's profound pursuit of truth and forms the basis for a free and personal search for the Divine.[25]
The cognition of man and the world may have a purely rational dimension, but for a full understanding of their meaning and significance for man and his existence, faith is also necessary. For the search for truth takes place not only in an individual struggle in the library or laboratory, but also has a communal, relational dimension. Man perfects himself not only through the acquisition of theoretical knowledge of truth, but also through a living relationship with another person, which is expressed through the gift of self and through faithfulness, empowering one to give oneself as a gift. Through this, man finds fullness of certainty in the truth and security in life. The rational knowledge of truth should therefore be based on faith, the basis of which is trust between persons: by believing, a person trusts in the truth that the other person shows him.[26] The fullness of truth is thus reached through others, in dialogue with and for others. Seeking the truth and sharing it with others is an important social service that people of science, especially those professing the Christian faith, are called to in a special way.[27]
A. The Trinity and the relationship between creatures
The model of all relationships in which human beings function is the Holy Trinity. The Divine Persons are relationships in their own right, and the world created in the image of God is a network of relationships. Creatures are directed toward God, and a feature of all living beings is the pursuit of another creation, so that in the universe one can find innumerable enduring relationships that are intertwined."[28] One of the important tasks of Catholic anthropology should therefore be to learn about the relationships and the many connections that exist between creatures in order to seek and discover the key to human self-realization. For the human person can develop, mature and sanctify himself by entering into relationships, thus transcending himself to live in communion with God, with other persons and with all creatures. In this way, the believer embraces in his life the Trinitarian dynamic that God has imprinted in him from the beginning of his existence. Everything in creation is connected, and therefore this establishment of ever new relationships leads man to mature in the spirituality of global solidarity that emanates from the mystery of the Trinity."[29]
B. Man's relationship with creation
Nature is often treated by modern anthropologists only as a system to be known, analyzed and managed. In contrast, Catholic anthropologists, reaching back to the teaching of the Bible, treat “creation” as a nature intimately connected with God's plan of love, in which every being has value and meaning. Creation, therefore, can only be fully understood as a gift from a loving Father, as a reality illuminated by love, calling every human being into universal communion and forming relationships with other human beings."[30]
Catholic anthropology, thanks primarily to the teaching of the Bible, as well as the scientific achievements it draws on, is free from the ever-repeated attempts to mythologize nature. Without ceasing to admire it for its magnificence and vastness, it no longer ascribes to it a divine character. In this way, the duties of man, a rational and free being, to all creation are further emphasized. A return to nature, however, must not come at the expense of limiting the consciousness, freedom and responsibility of man, who is part of the world and has a duty to develop his skills to protect the world and develop his potential. If believers recognize the value and fragility of nature, and at the same time respect the abilities given to them by the Creator, they can put an end today to the modern myth of unlimited material progress, which in effect destroys the balance in the ecosystem and consequently threatens man himself. A fragile world with man called by God to reign in it thus poses a new and urgent challenge to human intelligence, but also to faith, so that believers can reorient, shape and limit their power over creation."[31]
The aforementioned demythologization of nature in the Christian vision of creation gives believers an effective defense against idolatry, i.e., the worship of worldly powers, and also provides arguments against the false anthropocentrism of modern anthropology. Through faith in the Creator God, the Christian is put in his rightful place and does not strive to be the absolute ruler of the earth. Lack of faith in God the Creator, on the other hand, leads to man's desire to impose his own laws and his own interests on reality again and again."[32]
C. Christians' relationship with other people
Catholic anthropology, whose source is Revelation, Tradition and the Magisterium, shows Christians the possibilities of participating in the fulfillment of God's “providential” plans for all humanity. This is not just about individual involvement, much less individualistic involvement, as if development were possible through the isolated efforts of everyone. True development requires the involvement of all and everyone, especially members of the Catholic Church. For cooperation on the development of the whole and each person is the duty of all to all, and should at the same time be universal throughout the world: East, West, North and South, or, to use the terms used today, in different “worlds.” If, on the other hand, one tries to realize development in only one part or in “one world,” one does so at the expense of others. The same happens if development begins to take place without taking into account the rights of others, which leads to overdevelopment and its distortion. Therefore, individual peoples and nations have the right to their own full development, which, while encompassing economic and social aspects, should also take into account their cultural identity and openness to transcendent reality. At the same time, the Magisterium stresses that the need for development cannot be used as a pretext for imposing one's way of life (ideologized totalitarianism) or one's religious faith (proselytism) on others."[33]
4 True integral anthropocentrism
In the concept of integral Catholic anthropology with ecological elements, a new style of Christian life in harmony with the laws of nature should be developed. Modern Catholics are threatened by the practical relativism that characterizes today's era, which is “even more dangerous than doctrinal relativism.”[34] When human beings put themselves at the center, they end up giving absolute priority to what is temporarily convenient, and all the rest becomes relative. The cause of relativism is the ubiquity of the technocratic paradigm and the glorification of unlimited human power, which makes everything meaningless if it does not serve their own immediate interests. There is a certain logic to this, which helps to show how mutually reinforcing the different attitudes that cause simultaneous degradation of the natural and social environment."[35]
According to J. Ratzinger, relativism is a derivative of absolute pluralism based on secular ideology, which tries to remove Christianity from the consciousness of modern people. According to him, religion wants to close rather to the private sphere, and then Christians begin to think that Christianity is only one among many voices, and therefore they too should not bring their personal beliefs to the political scene. This phenomenon is occurring today in both the United States and Western Europe. The relativization of truth leads to a kind of schizophrenia. Thus, for example, Catholic politicians, who privately want to be faithful Catholics, when appearing in public are convinced that they should not bring their personal views into the public sphere, explaining this by the need to respect pluralism. [36]
The culture of relativism, promoted by modern anthropology, leads to various social pathologies, such as forced labor, debt slavery, abandonment of the elderly, sexual abuse of children. Relativism in social life also leads to a distorted understanding of the invisible power of the market to regulate the economy even at the price of harmful effects on society and nature. Pope Francis then poses a concrete question: If there are no objective truths or fixed principles, except for the satisfaction of one's own aspirations and immediate needs, what limits can be placed on human trafficking, criminal organizations, drug smuggling, the trade in “blood diamonds” or the skins of animals threatened with extinction? It is relativist logic that justifies trafficking in the organs of poor people to sell them or use them for research, and is behind the rejection of children because they do not conform to their parents' wishes. The logic of relativism is also the source of the commonly used principle: “use and throw away,” generating a lot of waste simply because of the disordered desire to consume more than is actually needed. Therefore, Catholic anthropology rejects the thesis that political programs or the power of law will suffice to prevent environmentally damaging behavior, because when culture depraves and no objective truth or universally valid principles are no longer recognized, laws will only be understood as arbitrarily imposed and as obstacles to be avoided."[37]
5 Christian life in accordance with the laws of nature and the truths of faith
Catholic anthropology benefits from the achievements of modern scientific research. However, Catholic anthropologists are aware that empirical sciences alone without faith will not fully explain life, the essence of all creatures and all reality. This is impossible for purely methodological reasons. If scientific research and reflection is done in this closed area, aesthetic sensibility, poetry, and the ability of reason to perceive the meaning and purpose of things disappear."[38] In Catholic anthropology, the primary source is Revelation and the Magisterium. Pope Francis notes that classical religious texts can offer meaning for all eras, and possess a motivating force that always opens new horizons. This raises a legitimate question: is it rational and reasonable to remove them into obscurity simply because they were written in the context of religious faith?[39] Indeed, it is naive to think that ethical principles can be presented in a purely abstract way, detached from any context, and that the fact that they appear in religious language does not take away any value from them in public debate. Ethical principles that reason is able to perceive can always recur in different aspects and be expressed in different languages, including religious language."[40]
On the other hand, any technical solution that science would like to bring to people's lives will be powerless in the face of the world's serious problems if humanity loses its direction, if the great motivations that make coexistence, sacrifice, kindness possible are forgotten. Therefore, Catholic anthropology places great emphasis on the activity of believers, so that they live in accordance with their faith and do not contradict it with their actions. In their activities, they should open themselves to God's grace and draw more deeply on what their deepest convictions are about love, justice and peace. A certain obstacle to the realization of this demand may be the historical past, when a wrong understanding of Gospel principles sometimes led Christians to justify abusive treatment of nature or man's despotic rule over creation or wars, injustice and violence. In the face of these manifestations of departure from the Truth, Christians, as believers, should recognize that in this way they have been unfaithful to the treasure of wisdom they should guard. Very often the reason for this disrespect for the Truth was the cultural limitations of different eras, which conditioned this awareness of one's own ethical and spiritual heritage, so it is the return to the sources that allows religions to better respond to current needs."[41]
By contrast, thanks to the development of ecologically oriented Catholic anthropology, ecological awareness of the human environment is increasing. In the ecological activities that are rightly undertaken, concern for the preservation of the natural “habitat” of various animal species threatened with extinction according to the principle that each contributes to the overall balance of the earth has begun to emerge more clearly. Catholic anthropologists, however, point out that it is man who is most important, and more importance should be given to protecting the moral conditions of true human ecology. “Not only was the earth given to man by God to use it with respect for the originally intended good for which it was given to him, but man is also a gift to himself received from God and must therefore respect the natural and moral structure with which he was endowed."[42]
Concluding remarks
The modern world is undergoing very profound changes, and solving the global challenges facing the human family in the new millennium requires taking into account Catholic anthropology and the social teaching of the Church, including the ecological dimension. In today's world, it is up to Catholics to take concerted and coordinated action to make true democracy, based on values, a reality for the people of the 21st century.[43]
Today, ecologically inclined Catholic anthropology is not just a new concept of an integral description of man as a thinking, free, believing person who befriends nature, but it is a historical necessity to defend man from the greatest threat, which is himself.[44] The imposition of a false anthropology without Christ on modern people has led to the fact that man is considered the absolute center of reality. This type of thinking has taken root in modern anthropology and has caused man to take the place of God contrary to the nature of things, forgetting that it is not man who makes God, but God who makes man. Forgetting God led to the abandonment of man, and therefore, in this context, a vast space opened up for the free development of nihilism in the field of philosophy, relativism in the field of theories of cognition and morality, pragmatism and even cynical hedonism in the structure of everyday life.[45] The new concept of ecologically inclined Catholic anthropology creates opportunities for taking action to defend man, whose unchanging goal remains to go to the meeting with the Risen Christ and achieve happy eternal life.
The modern Church in Catholic anthropology turns to man, whom God created and saved out of love. This thought is the center of Catholic anthropology, which today must be constantly developed to become the foundation of a new culture.[46] The new Catholic anthropology should take into account the riches and values of the cultures of today's people and sow Christian values in them.[47] In this area, Polish Catholics can play a very important role, as J. Ratzinger pointed out. “In Poland, there is still a very strong widespread identification with Christianity as one of the foundations of the nation's identity. Christian values - certainly not without internal resistance - remain the voucher of the identity of Polish society, the consciousness of human dignity, in a word, the force that opens the future. (...) The Holy Father, when he was still archbishop of Krakow - we read about this in his latest book - was very concerned about creating an intelligentsia strong in faith and its presence on the intellectual and social levels. This seems to me to be very important for Europe, and especially for Poland: to develop philosophical thought, and one that enters into dialogue with the demands of our time, with all the empirical reality that surrounds us. It is necessary not only to see the compatibility between the faith and the modern vision of the world, but also to demonstrate that the modern Church and the world need a well-formed Catholic intelligentsia. I do not know exactly the problems of the Polish pastoral, but it is important that Polish Catholicism, so strong with the life of faith, also has this intellectual strength, which enters into dialogue with all currents of modern thought. I would like this Polish Catholicism, characterized not only by the strength of faith, but also by the strength of intellect, to be able to play an important role also outside Poland, in the European context."[48]
I BELIEVE IN THE CHURCH...
(ecclesiology in anthropological aspect)
Being a Christian is conditioned by both faith in Christ and faith in the Church. A declaration of the type: I believe in Christ, but do not believe in the Church, is illogical, to put it mildly. Faith in Christ cannot be suspended in a “social” vacuum. For if someone declares faith in Christ, but wishes to keep it within the realm of his own person, he is simply selfish, and this alone contradicts the declaration of being a disciple of Christ, who commands to love one's neighbor as oneself. Love of neighbor, therefore, changes the perspective of faith in Christ: for to believe in him means to belong to the ecclesial community, to create and build it, to share its goods with its members, but also to benefit from community goods.
The human dimension of ecclesial faith
Every Christian is first of all, aware of his personal dignity, a human being. Man, as a person, has his own rights, which are not endured by joining the ranks of Christ's disciples. Whoever becomes a Christian is still first a human being, who has his rights in social life. The same applies to participation in the Church community: when someone declares his membership in the Church, he does not divest himself of his personal rights, which entitle him to full participation in social life. For the Church community does not compete with the society in which it functions.[49] One can even formulate this thesis: just as the Christian's humanity is adorned with the splendor of evangelical wisdom and enriched by the grace of faith in Christ, so the human community is enriched by the richness of the faith of the Church community. Being human and belonging to a local society, and being a Christian and belonging to an ecclesiastical community not only are not mutually exclusive, but one can even say that they are mutually conditional: being a Christian presupposes a permanent individual improvement of human nature, with active participation of the community and social activity.
What is the Church?
The question thus posed naturally presupposes answering the primary question: who is the Church. After all, learning about the Church-social institution-requires first defining its communal personality. John Paul II taught that membership in the community of Christ comes from a special call combined with the saving work of grace. Thus, in order to portray this multifaceted community, it is necessary first of all to see Christ, who in some way says to everyone in this community: “follow me” (John 1:43). “It is a community of disciples and followers, each of whom in some way - sometimes very clearly realized and consistent, and sometimes poorly realized and very inconsistent - follows Christ. In this is manifested at the same time the thoroughly “personal” profile and dimension of this community, which - despite all the deficiencies of community life in the human sense of the word - is a community precisely by the fact that everyone in some way constitutes it with Christ himself, if only by bearing on his soul the indestructible mark of a Christian."[50]
The Church is made up of Christians, so its personal-community vision can be presented by first solving the problem of Christian identity. A Christian is certainly everyone who is baptized, because he receives the indelible mark of belonging to Christ. However, it is one thing to become a Christian, because this involves a declaration of faith (following Christ), and another to church it - fulfilling the duties of faith. The Second Vatican Council teaches about this: “Those are fully incorporated into the community of the Church who, having the Spirit of Christ, fully accept the rules of the Church and all the means of salvation established in it, and in its visible organism remain in communion with Christ ruling the Church through the Pope and the bishops, a communion consisting in the bonds of profession of faith, the sacraments and ecclesiastical authority and communion (communio).”[51]
In light of these words, however, a clear distinction must be made between two aspects of ecclesiastical incarnation: incorporation into the ecclesial community and membership in the community of the Church. From “ecclesial incarnation” are born the consequences of belonging to the ecclesial community. Belonging to the ecclesial community means that a Christian becomes the Church, but on the condition that he is first received (incorporated) into the ecclesial community. This takes place in the sacrament of baptism. Incorporation into the Church does not have to be conscious, as some critics of the Church try to suggest. Through baptism, administered to infants, the Church community welcomes a new member, that is, it gives the newly baptized person access to the graces that are the fruit of the faith of the rest of the Church. In a way, this is expressed in the prayer for peace at Mass: “take heed not of our sins, but of the faith of your Church.” For the faith of the Church is the good of all who are incorporated into the Church community, and participation in its riches is unconditional. Incorporation into the Church, therefore, does not have to be deserved, and thus acceptance into the Church does not have to be an expression of informed consent. For it is incarnation, that is, participation “with the body” in the community of the Church, with access to all graces and, above all, with openness to the grace of Christ's salvation.
From incarnation into the ecclesial community is born only membership in the ecclesial community, which means establishing close interpersonal relations with members of the community and consciously and voluntarily accepting ecclesiastical duties. Belonging to the ecclesial community means, in essence, “being the Church” through one's “heart.” The Second Vatican Council also speaks on this subject: “He, however, does not attain salvation, even though he is incorporated into the Church, who, without abiding in love, remains in the bosom of the Church ‘body’ but not ‘heart.’”[52]
When the concept of “heart” is invoked in pastoral ecclesiology, it should be seen as an attempt to specify the spiritual nature of the Church. “Corporeally” the Church is a human community, a fact that is not disputed and is very easy to recognize, as its institutional structure testifies. For this reason, the external image of the Church can be derived from a sociological premise: “The Church, as a human society, can be studied and defined in those terms used by the sciences of any human society."[53]
On the other hand, the essence of the Church, which has a corporeal-spiritual nature, can only be defined from the perspective of love, which is why the concept of “heart” is needed, which is considered the source of the spiritualization of love. The Church, as a social institution (body), exists only in close, inseparable connection with the spiritual dimension. In other words, the Church without the divine character ceases to exist as a saving community. A church without the spirit simply does not exist, and calling any institution a “church” does not make it a saving community. On the other hand, it should be clearly noted that in the divine dimension the Church, having a spiritual nature, can live and function outside the social dimension. Of course, this is only possible in an eschatological perspective. However, as long as the Church operates in earthly reality, it functions in the social dimension in the same way as the human soul, which is one with the body, but can continue to live after death (after the cessation of natural life activities). The essence of the Church living in earthly reality demands both spiritual and human nature, since one conditions the other.
The Church was founded (born) by Christ, but can only be (live and act) by the Holy Spirit. A closer explanation of the Church's personality, in which nature and spirit are united, however, requires precise answers to the questions: is the Church “formed” or “born”? Does the Church “become” or simply “is”? The answer to the first question is provided by John Paul II, referring to the Church's birth in his definition of pastoral theology. Pastoral theology studies the Church that “gives birth” to the Church every day, as St. Bede the Venerable aptly puts it.[54] The Church, therefore, is not created, since its nature is to exist in the manner of giving birth. That is, to answer the second question, the Church does not become, but is simply “birthed.” Thus, if we consider that the Church as a saving community is birthed in a current, changeable reality (historical context: space and time), then its spiritual nature must be unchanging, that is, non-spatial and timeless. Thus, it can be conceded that through birthing, the Church exists as an independent human community, whose source of life and power is its spirit (spiritual nature). The social existence of the Church is therefore subject to all human limitations (belonging with the body), while its spiritual nature enables its members to exist (being - abiding) in love (belonging with the heart). However, mere belonging “with the body” to the Church makes no sense, since the ecclesial community is constituted by supernatural love, and not by the institution, which is the human dimension of the Church. Supernatural saving love is perfect (unchanging), while the human dimension of the ecclesial community, although belonging to its essence, is imperfect and changeable.
The social, “corporeal” dimension of the ecclesial community is a necessity by virtue of the corporeality of its members, so in its essence the Church is both spiritual and corporeal, just as man is a spiritual-corporeal unity, because he has both spirit and body. Man's person is spirit and body, but the body is of no use if man is spiritually devastated.[55] It is therefore of no use to improve man's human nature without spiritual growth. This is also the case with the Church - reforming the Church, according to the spirit of civilization progress, is of no use to the Church if spiritual growth (development) does not come first. The source, principle, goal and means of spiritual growth, both of man and of the Church, is participation and abiding in supernatural saving love.
Thus, the Church can be described in social (external) terms, since the ecclesial community is born through the incarnation and membership of its members. However, for the whole community of God's people and for each of its members, it is not only some specific “social belonging” that is important, but a specific “vocation” is important for each and everyone. [56] “And all the sons of the Church should remember that they owe their privileged state not to their own merits, but to the special grace of Christ, and if they do not cooperate with this grace in thought, word and deed, not only will they not be saved, but they will be judged even more severely.”[57] Thus, whoever treats his membership in the Church only in social terms becomes an observer, not a participant in Church life. Spectators do not share in the grace of salvation, even if they have to pay dearly for the right to be a spectator. The grace of salvation in the Church is a partially conditional gift. This means that one does not have to deserve it (it is a gift) to receive it, but at the same time its value in the life of each person is conditioned by the personal spiritual effort of the Christian to grow and bear fruit in the Church community.
Belonging to the Church with the heart
The grace of salvation is supposed to transform a person's spirit first, so it can happen that its fruits are only revealed with great difficulty on the “outside.” Between spiritual growth and human development there is an equality of importance and the role they are to fulfill. While not favoring either of them in the plane of their subject value, they should also be given equal time. Regardless of the inner feelings of individual Christians and the external picture of their lives, human flourishing and religious growth happen simultaneously but independently.[58] However, it cannot be assumed that the depth of change on the human plane will translate into spiritual effects, and vice versa - the fruitfulness of spiritual change does not directly affect the dynamism of human growth.[59] External behavior reflects neither the level of spiritual life nor the quality of human existence.
This can be illustrated by a proverb from folk wisdom: “He prays under a statue, but he has the devil under his skin.” This is a reference to the separation of spiritual development from personal maturity. How can prayer change a person's behavior in such a way that he does not cease to be himself? If one accepts the premise that prayer serves the formation of a person's spirituality, one cannot at the same time expect spiritual life to change a person to the same extent in the spatial-temporal dimension. This is because its nature requires work and efforts aimed at personality maturity. The more personally mature a person is, the more the fruits of grace will affect spiritual development because grace builds on nature. However, this applies to man's spiritual development.
However, this principle does not have a mirror image. Therefore, it cannot be said that nature builds on grace, nor can it be claimed that grace develops nature. For the richness of grace does not change the essence of nature, which is subject to the effects of original sin and will remain marked by human weakness before the resurrection of the body. Grace, on the other hand, can complement nature, and it is also possible for nature to follow grace. In this sense, one can speak of following Christ: “Whoever wishes to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross and follow Me."[60] Following Jesus, man becomes His disciple, a Christian, but his life is still subject to the laws of nature, and he is still exposed to temptations. Following Jesus, man approaches the kingdom of God, but after all, he does not leave the world, and often even more still, he enters the world. Man's life situation is thus subject to all the laws of nature, but at the same time spiritual development changes the nature of his relationship to the world. The proverb quoted above thus contains an important message. Prayer alone will not change a person, even the most pious. Casting out the devil, who is under the skin, demands love, but not only spiritual, Christ-like love - this one is the first and most important, but also love of neighbor, which every Christian learns himself from the Gospel, tries to understand it and live it every day. [61]
Love is also the principle by which the Church functions in two dimensions: as an “ontological” salvific community and an “incidental” human community. The primary and only task of the Church is the salvific mission, which the ecclesial community carries out by performing salvific functions and complementary tasks. At the same time, it should be added that as long as the Church functions in earthly reality, it becomes an increasingly conscious community of life and action, which is constantly changing. Every pastoral initiative, at every level of organization, serves the Church's fulfillment of its salvific mission and its true renewal insofar as it is based on a solid awareness of vocation and responsibility for that special grace, unique and unrepeatable, by which every Christian in the community of the People of God builds up the Body of Christ. “It is necessary to apply this principle, which is the key rule of all Christian “praxis,” apostolic and pastoral “practice,” the practice of the interior life and of the social life - to everyone and to each according to the proper proportion. And the Pope must apply it to himself, and every Bishop. Priests, monks and nuns must remain faithful to this principle. Spouses and parents, women and men, people of different states and professions, from the highest social position to those who perform the simplest work, must shape their lives according to it."[62]
Remaining in the bosom of the Church “with the heart,” therefore, means accepting the gift of being Church. Paul VI explains this truth by referring to the comparison of the Church to a building. This comparison was used by Christ, indicating that He Himself is its author and creator. This construction is based on a man who by his nature is fragile and flawed, but who through Christ is changed as if into a strong rock that, with God's help, will never fail."[63] Belonging to the Church ‘with the heart’ therefore means believing in her divine, spiritual nature, which is stronger than her corporeality. Thus, if a Christian professes faith in the Church, he identifies himself with what is divine, or spiritual and perfect, in the Church. Such faith gives rise to a vocation to “royal service,” which commands every Christian, following the example of Christ, to demand of himself; to demand precisely what he is called and committed to by God's grace. Such fidelity to the vocation received by Christ from God brings with it a solidarity responsibility for the Church, to which Vatican II wants to educate all Christians. For in the Church as a salvific community, guided from within by the action of the Holy Spirit, everyone has “his own gift.”[64] This “gift,” as each Christian's own vocation, is also his own participation in Christ's salvific work and at the same time serves others, builds up the Church and builds up fraternities in the various spheres of human existence on earth."[65]
I believe in the Church... These words express the greatness of man. For professing faith in the Church means that man accepts the gift of becoming a miracle of creation. At the same time, it is an expression of man's greatest desire to become “immortal,” which in the language of faith means: to attain eternal life. Every confession of faith in the Church is at the same time a reinforcement of the fruits of Baptism, through which man has been implanted in the Mystical Body of Christ, that is, in the Church, and has been elevated to a higher level of life, moreover, to a supernatural rebirth, so that through it he can know from experience the happiness of the adopted children of God, the dignity proper to the sisters and brothers of Christ, the blessed state, that is, the grace and joy of the indwelling of the Holy Spirit. Through Baptism, people are “called to a new life in which nothing human is lost, except for getting rid of the unhappy state of original sin, and everything human can be elevated so that it forms the most beautiful patterns of perfection and bears abundant and holy fruit. Thus, the Christian name and the reception of Baptism should deeply and joyfully stir the consciousness of every Christian, so that, as in the days of the early Church, he would regard it as an illumination which, bringing into his soul the vivifying light of Divine Truth, would open heaven, brighten his mortal life and give him the power to walk towards seeing God in eternal happiness."[66]
Faith in the Church, therefore, leads to the Christian's self-determination. The profession of ecclesial faith gives the Christian the certainty that faith in Christ is true. This is because faith in the Church opens a person's heart and allows him to experience faith in Christ as being with Christ in everyday life. If someone asks a follower of Christ the question: are you a true Christian, that person can answer: I am a Christian because I have opened my heart to the Church, in which Christ is and acts.

[1] “As for the ‘life of faith,’ the Second Vatican Council explains that ‘the whole of the faithful, having the anointing from the Holy Spirit, cannot go astray in the faith,’ and ‘this particular property of theirs is revealed by the supernatural sense of faith of the whole people when, beginning with the bishops down to the last of the lay faithful, it reveals a universal concord in matters of faith and morals.’” Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Instruction on the Vocation of the Theologian in the Church Donum veritatis (May 24, 1990), Vatican 1990, no. 4.
[2] John Paul II, Encyclical Redemptor hominis (March 4, 1979), Vatican 1979, no. 19. In philosophy, the thought of one man can serve the progress of humanity. But the true richness of human thought is born from the meeting of philosophy and theology and the mutual exchange of their achievements. Theology, having received as a gift the openness and originality by which it can exist as a science of faith, has certainly urged reason to remain open to the radical newness contained in God's revelation. This has undoubtedly benefited philosophy, as it has been able to open up new horizons, revealing to it further issues for reason to explore ever more deeply. [2] John Paul II, Encyclical Fides et ratio (September 14, 1998), Vatican 1998, no. 101.
[3] Ibid. “(Galileo) clearly declared that the two truths, i.e., faith and science, can never contradict each other. “Scripture and nature come from the Word of God. The former as dictated by the Holy Spirit, the latter as a faithful executor of God's commands,” he wrote in his letter to Father Benedetto Castelli on December 21, 1613. And the Second Vatican Council does not teach otherwise, but uses similar words when it said: “methodical investigation in all scientific research, as long as it is conducted ... with respect for moral norms, will really never be opposed to faith, for secular matters and matters of faith derive their origin from the same God” (Gaudium et spes, 36). Galileo felt in his scientific research the presence of God, who stimulated, anticipated and assisted him in his intuitions, working in the depths of his mind.” [3] John Paul II, Address to the Pontifical Academy of Sciences (May 10, 1979), in Computer Program “Teaching of the Catholic Church,” Krakow 2003, no. 2.
[4] John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Europa (June 28, 2003), Vatican 2003, no. 7.
[5] Benedict XVI, Last Conversations, Krakow 2016, p. 269.
[6] John Paul II, Encyclical Fides et ratio, no. 5.
[7] Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, Instruction on the Vocation of the Theologian in the Church Donum veritatis, no. 6.
[8] John Paul II, Message to the Participants of the Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Council for Culture Christian Humanism November 19, 1999), https://opoka.org.pl/biblioteka/W/WP/jan_pawel_ii/przemowienia/pr_kultury_19111999.html (accessed March 25, 2019), no. 2.
[9] Francis, Encyclical Laudato si (May 24, 2015), Vatican 2015, no. 81.
[10] Francis, Encyclical Laudato si, no. 119.
[11] R. Guardini, The End of Modern Times. The World and the Person. Freedom, grace, fate, Cracow 1969, p. 53.
[12] John Paul II, Encyclical Centesimus annus (May 1, 1991), Vatican 1991, no. 38.
[13] Francis, Encyclical Laudato si, no. 116. The correct interpretation of the concept of man as “master” of the universe is to understand him in the sense of “responsible steward.”
[14] Benedict XVI, Message for the World Day of Peace (December 8, 2009), http://w2.vatican.va/content/benedict-xvi/pl/messages/peace/documents/hf_ben-xvi_mes_20091208_xliii-world-day-peace.html (accessed March 25, 2019), no. 2.
[15] Francis, Encyclical Laudato si, no. 118 Human life is a dialogue between God and man, which takes place in deeds. In this dialogue, the material world and history are placed by God between Him and human beings as a translation of His inner speaking to them. This world and history are also the means in and through which man's attention is drawn to this inner voice of God, but at the same time they are the environment in which man has the opportunity to respond to the mission that creation has placed upon him. C. J. van der Poel, In Search of Human Values, Warsaw 1979, p. 75.
[16] R. Guardini, The End of Modern Times. The world and the person. Freedom, grace, fate, Cracow 1969, p. 68.
[17] Romano Guardini, The End of Modern Times. The World and the Person. Freedom, grace, fate, pp. 87-88.
[18] Francis, Encyclical Laudato si, no. 105.
[19] Francis, Encyclical Laudato si, no. 66.
[20] Any cruelty to any creature is contrary to human dignity. Cf. Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 2418.
[21] Francis, Encyclical Laudato si, no. 92.
[22] Summa Theologiae I, q. 47, art. 1.
[23] Summa Theologiae I, q. 47, art. 2, ad. 1; art. 3.
[24] Francis, Encyclical Laudato si, no. 86. “The interdependence of creatures is willed by God. The sun and the moon, the cedar and the little flower, the eagle and the sparrow: the immeasurable variety and diversity of creatures means that none of them is sufficient for itself. They exist only in mutual dependence on each other to complement each other, serving one another.” Catechism of the Catholic Church, no. 340.
[25] John Paul II, General Audience, Oct. 19, 1983, L'Osservatore Romano, Polish edition, 1983, no. 10, pp. 23-24.
[26] John Paul II, Encyclical Fides et ratio, no. 32.
[27] Jan Paweł II, Address to Rectors of Higher Education Institutions in Poland, Toruń, June 7, 1999, https://opoka.org.pl/biblioteka/W/WP/jan_pawel_ii/podroze/pl-19990607_jp_uczelnie.html (accessed March 25, 2019), no. 5.
[28] Cf. St. Thomas Aquinas, Summa Theologiae I, q. 11, art. 3; q. 21, art. 1, ad 3; q. 47, art. 3.
[29] Francis, Encyclical Laudato si, no. 240.
[30] Francis, Encyclical Laudato si, no. 76.
[31] Francis, Encyclical Laudato si, no. 78.
[32] Francis, Encyclical Laudato si , no. 75.
[33] John Paul II, Encyclical Sollicitudo rei socialis (December 30, 1987), Vatican1987, no. 32.
[34] Francis, Encyclical Evangelii gaudium (November 24, 2013), Vatican 2013, no. 80.
[35] Francis, Encyclical Laudato si, no. 122.
[36] Christianity is a path we should also follow against the current! With Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, President of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, interviewed by Marek Lehnert, Bogumił Łoziński, Marcin Przeciszewski (KAI - July 2004). http://niedziela.pl/artykul/1491/Chrzescijanstwo-jest-droga-ktora-winnismy (accessed July 8, 2017).
[37] Francis, Encyclical Laudato si, no. 123
[38] Cf. Francis, Encyclical Lumen fidei, no. 577: “The light of faith, because of its connection with the truth of love, is not alien to the material world, since love is always experienced in body and soul; the light of faith is an incarnate light, having its source in the luminous life of Jesus. It also illuminates matter, trusts in its order, and knows that in it a wider and wider path of harmony and understanding opens up. Thus, faith exerts a beneficent influence on the outlook of science: it invites the scientist to remain open to reality with all its inexhaustible richness. Faith stimulates the critical sense, because it does not allow research to be satisfied with its formulas, and helps them understand that nature is always greater. By encouraging wonder in the face of the mystery of creation, faith broadens the horizons of reason to better illuminate the world unveiled before scientific research.”
[39] Francis, Apostolic Exhortation Evangelii gaudium, no. 256.
[40] Francis, Encyclical Laudato si, no. 199.
[41] Francis, Encyclical Laudato si, no. 200.
[42] John Paul II, Encyclical Centesimus annus, no. 38.
[43] John Paul II, Message to the Participants of the Sixth Plenary Session of the Pontifical Academy of Social Sciences Democracy and Values ( February 23, 2000), https://opoka.org.pl/biblioteka/W/WP/jan_pawel_ii/przemowienia/demokracja_23022000.htm (accessed March 25, 2019), no. l4.
[44] The current culture, often devoid of Christian roots, disconnects people from basic values, among them hope. Many modern people in search of hope believe that this need can be met fleetingly and impermanently. And so hope, limited to an earthly space, closed to transcendence, is identified, for example, with the paradise promised by science and technology, or with various forms of messianism, with happiness of a hedonistic nature provided by consumerism, or an imaginary and artificial one provided by drugs, or with certain forms of millenarianism, with the enchantment of Eastern philosophies, with the search for esoteric forms of spirituality, with various New Age currents. John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation Ecclesia in Europa, no. 10.
[45] Ibid, no. 9.
[46] John Paul II, Encyclical Fides et ratio, no. 59.
[47] John Paul II, Message to the Participants of the Plenary Assembly of the Pontifical Council for Culture Christian Humanism, no. 2.
[48] Christianity is a path that we should also follow against the current! With Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, President of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, interviewed by Marek Lehnert, Bogumił Łoziński, Marcin Przeciszewski (KAI - July 2004). http://niedziela.pl/artykul/1491/Chrzescijanstwo-jest-droga-ktora-winnismy (accessed July 8, 2017).
[49] “The Church is deeply rooted in human society, since she resides in its bosom; from it she receives her members, from it she receives the priceless treasures of human culture, shares its destiny and brings about its prosperity.” [50] Paul VI, Encyclical Ecclesiam suam 6 August 1964, 26.
[50] John Paul II, Encyclical Redemptor hominis 4 III 1979, 21.
[51] Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 14.
[52] Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 14. Cf. St. Augustine, "Bapt. c. Donat." V, 28, 39: PL 43, 197: Certe manifestum est, id quod dicitur, in Ecclesia intus et foris, in corde, non in corpore cogitandum (it is in any case clear that the saying: in the Church inside and outside, is to be understood: in the heart, not in the body). Cf. ibid, III, 19, 26: col. 152, V, 18, 24: col . 189; “In Io.”, Tr . 61, 2: PL. 35, 1800.
[53] John Paul II, Encyclical Redemptor hominis 4 III 1979, 21.
[54] John Paul II, Apostolic Exhortation Pastores dabo vobis 25 III 1992, 57. St. Bede the Venerable: Nam et Ecclesia quotidie gignit Ecclesiam, Explanatio Apocalypsis, lib. II, 12: PL 93, 166.
[55] “What shall it profit a man, if he gains the whole world, and suffers injury to his soul?” (Mt 16:26).
[56] John Paul II, Encyclical Redemptor hominis 4 III 1979, 21.
[57] Second Vatican Council, Dogmatic Constitution on the Church, 14. Lk 12:48: “But from everyone to whom much has been given, much will be required” (cf. Mt 5:19-20; 7:21-22; 25:41-46; Jkb 2:14).
[58] The layperson can be assigned two tasks - to conquer space and to sanctify time. The problem of time can only be solved by sanctifying time. For humans alone, time is elusive; and for people connected to God, time is a masked eternity. A. Heschel, Sanctify time, in Spiritual Life. Prayer in Everyday Life 39(2004), p. 24.

The basis for recognition of the student's workload is firstly participation in class and active involvement in the discussion of the topics discussed in the lecture. Also taken into account is the student's personal interest in the presented problems of the lecture presented during class in the form chosen by the student (prepared written material, presentation, voice in discussion). The student also has the right to ask for personal consultations with the lecturer and propose alternative ways to demonstrate knowledge of the lecture topic to the requirements. The evaluation will also take into account the student's own work and time spent preparing for class, reading literature, especially achievements in carrying out internships, projects and original ideas related to the topic of the lecture. Self-study and the results of the student's personal scientific search on the topic of the lecture will also count towards the final grade. It will be an obligatory task for the student to prepare an essay on a topic selected from the list proposed by the lecturer, but with the possibility of preparing an essay on an original topic proposed by the student that falls within the topic of the lecture. Participation in teaching classes, development of the content of the lecture: 30 - 2 Own work with the subject reading and preparation of an essay as a written paper for credit: 30 - 1 Student workload in hours: 60 Number of ECTS points: 3

The basis for recognition of the student's workload is firstly participation in class and active involvement in the discussion of the topics discussed in the lecture. Also taken into account is the student's personal interest in the presented problems of the lecture presented during class in the form chosen by the student (prepared written material, presentation, voice in discussion). The student also has the right to ask for personal consultations with the lecturer and propose alternative ways to demonstrate knowledge of the lecture topic to the requirements. The evaluation will also take into account the student's own work and time spent preparing for class, reading literature, especially achievements in carrying out internships, projects and original ideas related to the topic of the lecture. Self-study and the results of the student's personal scientific search on the topic of the lecture will also count towards the final grade. It will be an obligatory task for the student to prepare an essay on a topic selected from the list proposed by the lecturer, but with the possibility of preparing an essay on an original topic proposed by the student that falls within the topic of the lecture. Participation in teaching classes, development of the content of the lecture: 30 - 2 Own work with the subject reading and preparation of an essay as a written paper for credit: 30 - 1 Student workload in hours: 60 Number of ECTS points: 3