Canon Law

You shall not render an unjust judgement you shall not partial to the poor or defer to the great:
with justice you shall judge your neighbour. (Lev 19:15)
Catholic Church
Catholic Church today is a communion of 23 churches Sui Lavis-(its own, laws) Churches
having their own laws accepting Roman pontiff as their supreme head.
Catholic (Universal) two Geek words -Kath+Holou it means pertaining to the whole universal.
For the first time in the history the word “Catholic” used by St. Ignatius of Antioch. In his letter
to the church in Smyrna. He makes use of their expression catholic in 112.
Cyril of Jerusalem also makes use of this expression in his Catechetical lecture. He says that the
church is called Catholic because she is found throughout the world from one end to the other.
She teaches universally all the doctrines that ought to be preached. He writes it in his
Catechetical letter.
St.Ignatius of Antioch expressed the Catholicity in a different way to in his letter to Smyrna
“Wherever the bishop appear, there let the people be, just as wherever Jesus Christ”. He
emphasise the universal of the Catholic Church.
St. Agustin in his writings the word Catholic is prominently used.
Communion
The word common was by for the first time St. Robert Bellarmine. He was a Jesuit priest
Canonised in 1930. Communion denotes unity and best expression of communion is the daily
Holy Communion that we receive.
In the Nicean Creed we recite the church is holy apostolic and Catholic. Those four
characteristics note established as doctrines in one of the first ecumenical council Constantinople
1st (381). In spirituality through holy communion we are united with Christ and communion can
be in the ecclesial level in three phases.
1. Profession of faith
2. Sharing of sacraments
3. Accepting of Government
He said that Unity, Fellowship, Understanding, Mutual respect etc.
Communion was the central theme of II Vatican Council. The decrees like LG, CD, OE, UR,
AG, are repeatedly making use of the expression Communion and this was the central thought of
the II Vatican Council itself
1. MITIS IUDEX DOMINUS IESUS (kind judge Lord Jesus)- 2015 Dec (Latin)
2. MITIS IUDEX MISERICORS IESUS(kind judge merciful Jesus) (Oriental)
Mothu Proprio (MP) means moved by the initiative of the Roman Pontiff itself.
Pope Francis 2015 gave two mp to facilitate the tribunal procedure for declaring invalid marriage
as null and void. And such process of declaring marriages null and void is Annulment.
Law and the Church
Low is something that asks you to do something or not to do something. (eg. Love your
neighbour). Every society should have its legal system. If not the rule of the Jungle will take
place where the power becomes the characteristic note. Indian society is having civil lows
affecting all spheres of one’s life. In the same way Catholic Church is also having the codified
legal system. They are CIC for Latin Church and CCEO for the Oriental Church.
The code of Canon Law are giving us clarity how to chose the state of life, how to give
punishment who disobey the low Administration of sacraments, how to award justice to whom
justice is denied, Religious life, Episcopate, Priesthood, Roman pontiff, synodal system,
patriarchal churches and these issues are dealt with proper direction with proper clarity. The new
law codes are the verbatim word by word version of the teaching of II Vatican Council.
The II Vatican Council is presenting new values of the community and accordingly the Christina
life is to be lived in the church.
The law can be binding on a community church. This solemn act of communication is
promulgation it comes from the Latin expression ‘Promulgare’. It means to place before other to
make it known to the public etc. It is a sine qua non (without that not - essential condition).
For example the code of canon law of the Latin Church CIC was promulgated on 25 th Jan 1983.
In the same way code of canons of Eastern churches CCEO was promulgated on 18 th Oct 1990
and it became binding on the community on 1 st Oct 1990. The time between the act of
promulgation and the day of it becoming binding on the community is called Vactio Legis
vacation of laws. It is a technical term by which the law giver allows the community to
understand the mind