Natural law and the law constituting the foundation of peace and justice worldwide

On April 12-13, 2019, in the building of the Josephological Center in Kalisz was held an international scientific conference. The conference was entitled: "Natural law and the law constituting the foundation of peace and justice worldwide". The organizers were the Faculty of Theology at the University of Adam Mickiewicz in Poznań and the clerical scientific circle of the Higher Theological Seminary. The responsible for the organization were profesor Dariusz Kwiatkowski (Faculty of Theology at the University of Adam Mickiewicz) and Jakub Bogacki (student of the Faculty of Theology at the University of Adam Mickiewicz in Poznań). The meeting was attended by scientists and students from Poland, Ukraine, Serbia, Croatia and Switzerland. It is worth to note that the symposium had an interdisciplinary character, which was emphasized by the participation of speakers whose are studying at the Wrocław University of Technology. The aim of the conference was theological, philosophical and legal reflection on natural law and civil law. There was also an attempt to show that they should cooperate and be a ground of peace and justice.

The inaugural lecture, delivered by ThD Waldemar Graczyk was entitled “Universal ethics: dream, necessity, utopia? Theological and moral reflections on the basis of the document of the International Theological Commission In Search of Universal Ethics: A New Look at Natural Law ". The speaker noted that natural law, which is a dynamic reality and the source of universal moral principles, could constitute the basis of universal ethics, especially in bioethical and scientific-technical issues. However, creating an integrated ethics in our time is highly problematic. The foundation of universal ethics has to be respect for the human person and his innate dignity.

The first panel of lectures began with a speech from the deacon  Tobiasz Stasiński, who represented the University of Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński in Warsaw. In his speech entitled "Implications for peace and justice in the light of natural and statutory law in the teaching of St. John Paul II ”. He stressed that Pope John Paul II significantly developed the doctrinal foundations of Catholic social teaching. The author showed the diverse sources of papal social teaching. He emphasized the important role of peace and truth, which are at the basis of the social order of John Paul II.

The second speaker of the first day of the conference was Michał Baron from the Faculty of Mechatronics at the Wrocław University of Technology. In his paper "The faith in money, the religion of all cultures and nations" he provided basic information on the revolution of money throughout history. He described role of money in society and the impact of money on individual social behavior. As the source of the article pointed to scientific studies on the economics, economy and psychology.

The third lecture was delivered by Damian Brzoza from the Faculty of Mechatronics of the Wrocław University of Technology. In the speech entitled "Show me your data and I will tell you who you are. Data science foundation of peace or surveillance of citizens? " referred to the extremely current problem of collecting data on citizens by various institutions. He showed the legal basis of this practice and he pointed to the possibilities that allow you to partially protect your privacy on the Internet. He also mentioned companies and internet portals that dominate in surveillance of their users.

The lecture ending the first day of the conference was delivered by the Ukrainian Greek Catholic priest Roman Woznyak representing the University of Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński and Academia Alfonsiana in Rome. The title of the speech: "What is the war in Ukraine and what are the threats it brings for Europe?" Referring to the current geopolitical situation, he emphasized that the war between Ukraine and Russia is not only a matter of these two countries, but of the whole of Europe. He also described the enormous commitment of the Catholic Church to peace in eastern Ukraine.

The second day of the conference began with the celebration of the Holy Mass in the chapel of the Theological Semianry in Kalisz. Nextly, the introductory lecture on was delivered by the conference co-organizer profesor Dariusz Kwiatkowski from the Faculty of Theology of the University of Adam Mickiewicz in Poznań.

The first lecture of the second day of the conference was delivered by Nikola Dzavric, the student of the University of Belgrade, from Serbia. His speech was entitled "A canonical crisis in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church". The aim of his paper was to show the relationship between the Patriarchate of Constantinople and the Ukrainian Church. He did so by dividing his speech into two parts: a brief historical overview and an outline of the current situation and the main sources of disputes.

Wiktor Paluch from the Wrocław University of Technology gave a lecture entitled "Should intellectual property have limits?" The author discussed the origin of intellectual property rights. He drew attention to the fact that authorship in industrial matters is regulated only territorially and, for example, a patent valid in one country does not become valid in another country - regulations are sometimes standardized in various ways, but the resulting problems are still visible.

Mateusz Grabowski from the Theological Seminary in Gdańsk and the University of Cardinal Stefan Wyszyński in Warsaw gave a speech entitled “Legal order postulated in social teaching by Card. Stefan Wyszyński on the basis of selected works ”. He pointed out that Wyszyński emphasized the great value of natural law, which is also included in the teaching of the Church. According to the speaker, the universality of the considerations of the Primate of the Millennium on social issues determines their topicality and usefulness for contemporary countries and societies.

The first panel of the second day of the conference ended with Michał Czuba with his paper entitled "Legal regulations concerning systems based on artificial intelligence methods - security requirement or inhibition of civilization progress?". The author emphasized that artificial intelligence plays an increasingly important role in the world of science and technology. He drew attention to the fact that regulations should result out of a dialogue between the authors and the legislator.

Matej Veres represented Katolički Bogoslovni Fakultet u Đakovu and Universitat Luzern. The topic of his speech was: ,, Kanonisches Eherecht. Braucht es zum Glück eine kirchliche Heirat? (part 1) ". The speaker discussed the issue of sacramental marriage from the biblical and canonical perspective. The author has interpreted the concept of "covenant" relating to marriage and analyzed the matrimonial law contained in the Codes of Canon Law of 1917 and 1983 and the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches.

Gabriel Kuhn's lecture from Univeristat Luzern was an extension of the preceding lecture. Hence its analogous title:, Kanonisches Eherecht. Braucht es zum Glück eine kirchliche Heirat? (part 2) ". The Swiss focused on the psychological aspect of the marital relationship. In his opinion, Catholic marriage must be based not only on external but also internal binders.

The lecture entitled: "Homosexual relationships in the Polish legal order" was delivered by Jakub Nawrot. He emphasized that Polish law does not discriminate against same-sex unions. However, such unions cannot have the privileges like a marriage between man and woman.

The lecture closing the conference was delivered by Mateusz Zimoch from the Wrocław University of Technology. The topic of his speech was: "The autonomous vehicles and the law on road traffic and the morality in the issues of artificial intelligence." The speaker noted that developing automotive technology generates new problems and dilemmas of a legal and moral nature. The author gave the example of an autonomous vehicle driven by a computer.

The conference ended with the integration meeting of the speakers during which the 3rd international interdisciplinary scientific conference was summed up. It is worth noting that the conference had the honorary patronage of The Ministry of Justice of the Republic of Poland.