The pontificate of Pope Francis has a specific character that does not consist only in spectacular gestures or a new language but is also manifested in the contents of his teaching. The presented paper is an attempt to outline the main message in the teaching of Pope Francis and his most important theological inspirations which explain the point of view and specific theological features of his pontificate. The theology of the people is the starting point of the paper as it is central to Francis’ thought about the Church and constitutes the basis for his understanding of social questions. Then, elements of Ignatian spirituality will be presented as they have impact on the manner of presenting theological themes by the Jesuit Pope. The last point introduces a reflection about mercy, which is the key theological idea in the teaching of Francis and finds application in the understanding of many specific questions. The analysis of Francis’ teaching confirms that it is based on the Bible, the theological tradition of the Church and the teaching of the Second Vatican Council, and shows specific new aspects which have been treated as hardly audible voices in the world Church so far.

The manuscript of Justinian’s Digest from the late decades of the 12th century belongs to the most precious items kept by the Kórnik Library. This paper presents an analysis of the relationship between the European legal tradition and the still important issue of the boundaries of legal interpretation, based on the manuscript. The author’s starting point was the contradiction between the prohibition of the interpretation of the Digest as imposed by Justinian and the opinions of classical Roman jurists confirming the significant role of interpretation in law which are collected in the Digest. The first part of the paper contains an analysis of glosses to Justinian’s prohibition in his constitution Omnem and glosses to the concept of interpretation at the beginning of the second title of Justinian’s Digest in the manuscript and in the later collection of the glossators’ output (Glossa Magna). Opinions of leading European jurists from between the 14th and the 19th centuries associated with Justinian’s Digest and related to the boundaries and methods of legal interpretation are discussed in the second part of the paper. Both fields of legal experience show a similar trend of strengthening the role and flexibility of legal interpretation. The relationship between the 12thcentury manuscript and the specific position of jurists in modern European societies is perceptible.