Could you check this short piece, please?
The enlightenment movement also reached XVIII c. Poland Commonwealth and its spirit immensely influenced the creators of the Constitution of May 3, 1791. The makers of the Constitution of May 3, which was an act similar in principle to its American equivalent, were driven by idea of the 'common good' and the desire to create a modern, thriving state, with vast liberties. They were undoubtedly inspired by the spirit of the Enlightenment (many if not all of them were also freemasons by the way). Therefore, it was quite of a surprise for me to discover that the section two of the Act stated that: "The dominant national religion is and shall be the sacred Roman Catholic faith with all its laws. Passage from the dominant religion to any other confession is forbidden under penalties of apostasy." It appears that the signers of the Constitution of May 3, were indeed very devout and pious Catholics loyal to the Rome if they decided to include such a statement right after the preamble (would they be called 'Papists' in Britain?). As it is mentioned in the article on the Open University website (source), the aim of the Enlightenment was to disperse "the clouds of ignorance, superstition, prejudice, oppression, dogma or myth", which implicitly indicates the Catholic Church and the traditions and 'order' it had established. In my view, it was indeed possible to reconcile religious piety and Catholic faith with Enlightenment ideals of progressiveness and rationality.
The enlightenment movement also reached XVIII c. Poland Commonwealth and its spirit immensely influenced the creators of the Constitution of May 3, 1791. The makers of the Constitution of May 3, which was an act similar in principle to its American equivalent, were driven by idea of the 'common good' and the desire to create a modern, thriving state, with vast liberties. They were undoubtedly inspired by the spirit of the Enlightenment (many if not all of them were also freemasons by the way). Therefore, it was quite of a surprise for me to discover that the section two of the Act stated that: "The dominant national religion is and shall be the sacred Roman Catholic faith with all its laws. Passage from the dominant religion to any other confession is forbidden under penalties of apostasy." It appears that the signers of the Constitution of May 3, were indeed very devout and pious Catholics loyal to the Rome if they decided to include such a statement right after the preamble (would they be called 'Papists' in Britain?). As it is mentioned in the article on the Open University website (source), the aim of the Enlightenment was to disperse "the clouds of ignorance, superstition, prejudice, oppression, dogma or myth", which implicitly indicates the Catholic Church and the traditions and 'order' it had established. In my view, it was indeed possible to reconcile religious piety and Catholic faith with Enlightenment ideals of progressiveness and rationality.