What exactly is the canon law in the catholic church?
I used to be a catholic and now I am a protestant, but my boyfriend is still catholic and we are unsure what the book of the canon law really is? would someone please help us? Thank you!
Canon Law is the ecclesiastical, or church, law of the Catholic Church. Catholic ecclesiastical law is a fully developed legal system, with all the necessary elements: courts, lawyers, judges, precedent, a fully articulated legal code and principles of legal interpretation.
In the Catholic church, the canons of the councils were gathered together into collections as early as 1234 C.E.
Much of the jurisprudential style was adapted from the Roman Law code of Justinian. As a result, courts in the Catholic Church tend to follow the Roman Law style of the continent of Europe, featuring collegiate panels of judges, a somewhat neutral presumption before verdict, and an investigative form of proceeding, called "inquisitorial", from the Latin "inquirere", to enquire.
This is in contrast to the adversarial form of proceeding found in the Common Law jurisdictions of British and American law, which feature juries, single, neutral judges, etc.
In the 13th century, the Catholic Church began attempting to collect and organize canon law, which after a millennium of development had become a complex and difficult system of interpretation and cross-referencing.
The 1917 Code of Canon Law (Codex Iuris Canonici or CIC) was actually the first instance of a new code completely re-written in a systematic fashion, reduced to a single book or "codex" for ease of use. It took effect in November 1918.
After the sweeping reforms of the Second Vatican Council so much had changed in the Church that the council fathers wrote into the documents that the code be completely revised. After decades of discussion and numerous drafts, the project was nearly complete upon the death of Paul VI in 1978. Later that year when John Paul II had become pope, he brought further major changes to the code. The new revision, (CIC 1982) took effect in 1983.
Pope John Paul II promulgated the revised and presently binding Code of Canon Law for all of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics, with exception of the Eastern Catholic Churches.
These Eastern Rites within the Catholic Church have a separate Code of Canon Law, called the CCEO (Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches) incorporating certain differences in the hierarchical, administrative and judicial fora.
The Code of Canon Law: http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/_INDEX.HTM
With love in Christ.
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April 25 2009 08:20 am | Catholic
FROG E on 25 Apr 2009 at 1:59 pm #
Which Catholic Church?..there are many.
If you are referring to the Roman Catholic Church…you can go to
http://www.newadvent.org
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Pascal Baylon on 25 Apr 2009 at 2:30 pm #
The Canons are the bylaws of The Church. They govern things that aren't doctrine; like how a priest is laicized, or the process for determining whether a marriage is valid or not, or whether women must cover their heads in the presence of the Blessed Sacrament, or which days are reserved for fasting and abstinence.
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rjy.threeatpinewood on 25 Apr 2009 at 3:01 pm #
Christian religious law: the body of laws that governs the affairs of the Christian church or a particular branch of it
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BM on 25 Apr 2009 at 3:44 pm #
obstruction of justice in criminal investigation
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Meg M on 25 Apr 2009 at 4:25 pm #
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Canon_law
http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/_INDEX.HTM
References :
imacatholic2 on 25 Apr 2009 at 4:53 pm #
Canon Law is the ecclesiastical, or church, law of the Catholic Church. Catholic ecclesiastical law is a fully developed legal system, with all the necessary elements: courts, lawyers, judges, precedent, a fully articulated legal code and principles of legal interpretation.
In the Catholic church, the canons of the councils were gathered together into collections as early as 1234 C.E.
Much of the jurisprudential style was adapted from the Roman Law code of Justinian. As a result, courts in the Catholic Church tend to follow the Roman Law style of the continent of Europe, featuring collegiate panels of judges, a somewhat neutral presumption before verdict, and an investigative form of proceeding, called "inquisitorial", from the Latin "inquirere", to enquire.
This is in contrast to the adversarial form of proceeding found in the Common Law jurisdictions of British and American law, which feature juries, single, neutral judges, etc.
In the 13th century, the Catholic Church began attempting to collect and organize canon law, which after a millennium of development had become a complex and difficult system of interpretation and cross-referencing.
The 1917 Code of Canon Law (Codex Iuris Canonici or CIC) was actually the first instance of a new code completely re-written in a systematic fashion, reduced to a single book or "codex" for ease of use. It took effect in November 1918.
After the sweeping reforms of the Second Vatican Council so much had changed in the Church that the council fathers wrote into the documents that the code be completely revised. After decades of discussion and numerous drafts, the project was nearly complete upon the death of Paul VI in 1978. Later that year when John Paul II had become pope, he brought further major changes to the code. The new revision, (CIC 1982) took effect in 1983.
Pope John Paul II promulgated the revised and presently binding Code of Canon Law for all of the world's 1.2 billion Catholics, with exception of the Eastern Catholic Churches.
These Eastern Rites within the Catholic Church have a separate Code of Canon Law, called the CCEO (Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches) incorporating certain differences in the hierarchical, administrative and judicial fora.
The Code of Canon Law: http://www.vatican.va/archive/ENG1104/_INDEX.HTM
With love in Christ.
References :
Galactic Emperor on 25 Apr 2009 at 5:23 pm #
Canon law is internal ecclesiastical law governing the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox churches, and the Anglican Communion of churches. The way that such church law is legislated, interpreted and at times adjudicated varies widely among these three bodies of churches. In all three traditions, a canon was initially a rule adopted by a council (From Greek kanon / κανών, Hebrew kaneh / קנה, for rule, standard, or measure); these canons formed the foundation of canon law.
Canon Law, the ecclesiastical law of the Catholic Church, is a fully developed legal system, with all the necessary elements: courts, lawyers, judges, a fully articulated legal code and principles of legal interpretation. The academic degrees in canon law are the J.C.B. (Juris Canonici Baccalaureatus, Bachelor of Canon Law, normally taken as a graduate degree), JCL (Juris Canonici Licentiatus, Licentiate of Canon Law) and the J.C.D. (Juris Canonici Doctor, Doctor of Canon Law). Because of its specialized nature, advanced degrees in civil law or theology are normal prerequisites for the study of canon law.
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http://www.christianforums.com
Daver on 25 Apr 2009 at 5:32 pm #
CANON LAW – The authentic compilation of the laws of the Catholic Church. Two major compilations have been made in the Church's history, Gratian's Decree, assembled about A.D. 1140 by the Italian Camaldolese monk Gratian, and the Code of Canon Law, promulgated by Pope Benedict XV in 1917, and effective on Pentecost, May 19, 1918. Since the Second Vatican Council, a new compilation has been undertaken of existing Church laws; the 1983 Code of Canon Law.
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allcreaturesgreatandsmall on 25 Apr 2009 at 6:03 pm #
This law of the Church is most important: Extra ecclesiam nulla salus which translated means outside the Church there is no salvation; for it was founded by Jesus Christ Himself for the dispensation of mercy when He said "That thou art Peter; and upon this rock I will build my church," notice how our Lord said "church" which is singular NOT plural. Further our Lord says to Peter: "And I will give to thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven. And whatsoever thou shalt bind upon earth, it shall be bound also in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose upon earth, it shall be loosed also in heaven."
Notice also that the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church, founded by our Lord is His Church which He will build upon Peter and his successors. "and upon this rock I will build my church," NOT the "church" of some Protestant.
There are many canon lawyers, theologians, priests, cardinals and bishops who were well versed in the precepts of the Catholic doctrines, but unless they hold the Catholic Faith, and keep it whole and entire, they shall, without a doubt, perish like all of those who have left the true Catholic Church, or obstinately remain outside of it.
Our Lord says so much in Scripture when He says "that unless your justice abound more than that of the scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven." Many Catholics leave the Church because they feel constrained by it and seek to live their lives more freely but what does our Lord say to these: "He that findeth his life, shall lose it: and he that shall lose his life for me, shall find it." and elsewhere we read Him say: "what doth it profit a man, if he gain the whole world, and suffer the loss of his own soul? Or what exchange shall a man give for his soul?"
References :
http://www.vaticancatholic.com