Cooperation with state authorities

Marek Strzała’s chapter examines the normative and practical foundations of cooperation between entities of the Catholic Church and state authorities in matters concerning the protection of minors and persons equated with them in canon law, focusing on criminal proceedings covered by the motu proprio “Vos estis lux mundi” (2023 version). The author analyses canonical and Polish legal provisions that shape the duty and manner of notifying law‑enforcement bodies of sexual offences, the scope of mutual use of evidentiary material (for example, marriage‑case files in canonical penal proceedings), and the limits of cooperation arising from the seal of confession, professional secrecy, and the Concordat between the Holy See and the Republic of Poland. Drawing on extensive literature on “Vos estis lux mundi”, the obligation to report crimes under Article 240 of the Polish Criminal Code, and cooperation between Church and state in procedural law, the chapter presents such collaboration as an essential component of an effective system for safeguarding minors, while respecting the autonomy of both legal orders.