Establishment and activities of the Saint Joseph Foundation of the Polish Bishops’ Conference – the response of the Catholic Church in Poland to the phenomenon of sexual abuse of minors

Abstract

The study presented the creation and activities of the Saint Joseph Foundation of the Polish Bishops' Conference. The initiative taken by the Polish bishops was intended to provide assistance to victims of sexual abuse by clergy serving in the Catholic Church in Poland. A narrative has been created from which a picture emerges from which the reader will be able to learn about the causes and process of the establishment of the Foundation and the various areas of its activities and functioning. To this end, the following sources were used: the notarial deed, the statutes and bylaws, reports and statements of the Foundation, as well as the Facebook application, Polish and foreign literature in the field of legal sciences and canon studies. The overall picture has been created through the application of various research methods, including dogmatic-legal, historical-legal, philological. The study created has filled the research gap in this area to a small extent. The above article fulfils various functions: apologetic, preventive and informative. The presented research can serve as an inspiration for others, including potential funders, members and staff of the Foundation, as well as researchers who are interested in the presented topics.