Edward A. David

Earlier this month, I presented a paper on corporate religious liberty at the Jagiellonian University in Kraków. The paper was part of a panel of distinguished scholars (a questionable title for me personally!) working on emerging challenges in religious freedom.

Cole Durham (BYU Law) addressed church autonomy in the United States. Edward David (yours truly) followed this with a theological reflection on the corpus mysticum tradition and how it normatively distinguishes church freedoms. Next, Patrick Reidy (Notre Dame Law) shared his thoughts on the rise of church/religious property disputes in America. And Pierre-Hugue Barre (Sciences Po) rounded off the panel with challenges faced by religious schools in France.

Grzegorz Blicharz, Director of the Center for Law and Religious Freedom (CLRF), moderated.

As I told Grzegorz numerous times, I have never been to a more generous or hospitable conference than this. The organisers led informal walking tours each day and treated us to delicious meals featuring delicacies of Polish cuisine. Not only were our social and cultural needs met, but our curiosity was piqued with each panel presentation. The breadth of scholarship and practitioner perspectives was astonishing. For me especially, as someone locked in the ivory tower of academia, hearing from practitioners was invaluable. I left the conference inspired and renewed in my commitment to advance religious freedom through theological and ethical reflection.

Many thanks again to all those involved with the Center for Law and Religious Freedom as well as Religious Freedom Clinic at Harvard Law School. You’re on to something big. And it was a privilege to be involved this year. Thank you!