what is canon law

what is canon law

1 year ago 79
Nature

Canon law is a set of laws and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members. It governs the internal hierarchy and administration of the church, as well as church ceremonies, the role of clergy, religious education, discipline within the church, and any litigation falling within ecclesiastical jurisdiction. The term "canon" refers to a rule, norm, standard, or measure. Canon law originated as a body of norms drawn from scripture, the decisions of ecclesiastical councils, rulings by the Pope, as well as secular Roman law. It has had a long history of development throughout the Christian era and reflects social, political, economic, cultural, and ecclesiastical changes that have taken place in the past two millennia.

In the Catholic Church, canon law is the system of laws and legal principles made and enforced by the churchs hierarchical authorities to regulate its external organization and government and to order and direct the activities of Catholics toward the mission of the church. The governing code in the Latin or Western Church is the 1983 Code of Canon Law, a revision of the 1917 Code of Canon Law. A separate but parallel Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches, issued in 1990, governs the Eastern Catholic churches.

Canon law is a fully developed legal system, with all the necessary elements: courts, lawyers, judges, a fully articulated legal code, principles of legal interpretation, and coercive penalties, though it lacks civilly-binding force in most secular jurisdictions. It has influenced the secular law and jurisprudence in lands influenced by Protestantism, such as marriage law, the law of obligations, the doctrine of modes of property acquisition, possession, wills, legal persons, the law of criminal procedure, and the law concerning proof or evidence.

Canon law scholars are also seeking a link with the empirical social sciences, which is required for insight into and control of the application of canon law. The study of the history of canon law calls not only for juridical and historical training but also for insight into contemporary theological concepts and social relationships. The function of canon law in liturgy, preaching, and social activities involves the development and maintenance of those institutions that are considered to be most serviceable for the church.

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