CODE OF CANONS OF THE EASTERN CHURCHES / TITLE:III

 CODE OF CANONS OF THE EASTERN CHURCHES / TITLE:III

 CODE OF CANONS OF THE EASTERN CHURCHES / TITLE:III

TITLE: III

THE SUPREME AUTHORITY OF THE CHURCH

 

Can. 42 – Just as, by the Lord’s decision, Saint Peter and the other Apostles constitute one college, so in a similar way the Roman Pontiff, successor of Peter, and the bishops, successors of the Apostles, are joined together.

 

CHAPTER: I

THE ROMAN PONTIFF

 

Can. 43 – The bishop of the church of Rome, in whom resides the office (munus) given in special way by the Lord of Peter, first of the Apostles and to be transmitted to his successors, is head of the college of bishops, the Vicar of Christ and Pastor of the entire Church on earth; therefore, in virtue of his office (munus) he enjoys supreme, full, immediate and universal ordinary power in the Church which he can always freely exercise.

 

Can. 44 - §1. The Roman Pontiff obtains full and supreme power in the Church by means of legitimate election accepted by him together with episcopal consecration; therefore, one who is already a bishop obtains this same power from the moment he accepts his election to the pontificate, but if the one elected lacks the episcopal character, he is to be ordained a bishop immediately.

 

§2. If it should happen that the Roman Pontiff resigns his office (munus), it is required for validity that he makes the resignation freely and that it be duly manifested, but not that it be accepted by anyone.

 

Can. 45 - §1. The Roman Pontiff, by virtue of his office (munus), not only has power over the entire Church but also possesses a primacy of ordinary power over all the eparchies and groupings of them by which the proper, ordinary and immediate power which bishops possess in the eparchy entrusted to their care is both strengthened and safeguarded.

 

§2. The Roman Pontiff, in fulfilling the office (munus) of the supreme pastor of the Church is always united in communion with the other bishops and with the entire Church; however, he has the right, according to the needs of the Church, to determine the manner, either personal or collegial, of exercising this function.

 

§3. There is neither appeal nor recourse against a sentence or decree of the Roman Pontiff.

 

Can. 46 - §1. In exercising his office (munus) the Roman Pontiff is assisted by the bishops who aid him in various ways and among these is the synod of bishops; moreover, the cardinals, the Roman curia, pontifical legates and other persons and various institutes assist him according to the needs of the times; all these persons and institutes carry out the task committed to them in his name and by his authority for the good of all the Churches, according to the norm of law established by the Roman Pontiff himself.

 

§2. The participation of patriarchs and other hierarchs who preside over Churches sui iuris in the synod of bishops is regulated by special norms established by the Roman Pontiff.

 

Can. 47 – When the Roman see is vacant or entirely impeded nothing is to be innovated in the governance of the entire Church; however, special laws enacted for those circumstances are to be observed.

 

Can. 48 – In this Code the term “Apostolic See” or “Holy See” applies not only to the Roman Pontiff but also, unless it is otherwise prescribed by the law or the nature of the matter indicates otherwise, dicasteries and other institutes of the roman curia.

 

CHAPTER II

THE COLLEGE OF BISHOPS

 

Can. 49 – The college of bishops, whose head is the Roman Pontiff and whose members are the bishops by virtue of sacramental ordination and hierarchical communion with the head and members of the college, and in which the apostolic body continually endures, together with its head, and never without its head, is also the subject of supreme and full power over the universal Church.

 

Can. 50 §1. The college of bishops exercises power over the entire Church in a solemn manner in an ecumenical council.

 

§2. The college exercises the same power through the united action of the bishops dispersed in the world, which action as such has been initiated or has been freely accepted by the Roman Pontiff so that a truly collegial act results.

 

§3. It is for the Roman Pontiff, in keeping with the needs of the Church, to select and promote the ways by which the college of bishops is to exercise collegially its function regarding the entire Church.

 

Can. 51 - §1. It is for the Roman Pontiff alone to convoke an ecumenical council, to preside over it personally or through others, to transfer, suspend or dissolve it, and to confirm its decrees.

 

§2. It is for the same Roman Pontiff to determine matters to be treated in a council and to establish the order to be followed in the same council; to the questions proposed by the Roman Pontiff the fathers of a council can add other questions, to be approved by the same Roman Pontiff.

 

Can. 52 - §1. It is the right and obligation of all and only the bishops who are members of the college of bishops to participate in an ecumenical council with a deliberative vote.

 

§2. The supreme authority of the Church can also call others who are not bishops to an ecumenical council and determine what part they take in it.

 

Can. 53 – If the Apostolic See becomes vacant during the celebration of a council, it is interrupted by the law itself until a new Roman Pontiff orders it to be continued or dissolves it.

 

Can. 54 - §1. Decrees of an ecumenical council do not have obligatory force unless they are approved by the Roman Pontiff together with the fathers of the council and are confirmed by the Roman Pontiff and promulgated at his order.

 

§2. When the college of bishops takes collegial action in another manner, initiated or freely accepted by the Roman Pontiff, in order for its decrees to have binding force, they need this same confirmation and promulgation.

 CODE OF CANONS OF THE EASTERN CHURCHES / TITLE:III

CODE OF CANONS OF THE EASTERN CHURCHES : TITLE-II

 CODE OF CANONS OF THE EASTERN CHURCHES : TITLE-II

 CODE OF CANONS OF THE EASTERN CHURCHES : TITLE-II

TITLE II

CHURCHES SUI IURIS AND RITES

 

Can. 27 – A group of Christian faithful united by a hierarchy according to the norm of law which the supreme authority of the Church expressly or tacitly recognizes as sui iuris is called in this Code a Church sui iuris.

 

Can. 28 - §1. A rite is the liturgical, theological, spiritual and disciplinary patrimony, culture and circumstances of history of a distinct people, by which its own manner of living the faith is manifested in each Church sui iuris.

 

§2. The rites treated in this code, unless otherwise stated, are those which arise from the Alexandrian, Antiochene, Armenian, Chaldean and Constantinopolitan traditions.

 

CHAPTER I

ENROLLMENT IN A CHURCH SUI IURIS

 

Can. 29 - §1. By virtue of baptism, a child who has not yet completed his fourteenth year of age is enrolled in the Church sui iuris of the Catholic father; or the Church sui iuris of the mother if only the mother is Catholic or if both parents by agreement freely request it, with due regard for particular law established by the Apostolic See.

 

§2. If the child who has not yet completed his fourteenth year is:

 

          1º born of an unwed mother, he is enrolled in the Church sui iuris to which the mother belongs;

 

          2º born of unknown parents, he is to be enrolled in the Church sui iuris of those in whose care he has been legitimately committed are enrolled; if it is a case of an adoptive father and mother, §1 should be applied;

         

          3º born of non-baptized parents, the child is to be a member of the Church sui iuris of the one who is responsible for his education in the Catholic faith.

 

Can. 30 – Anyone to be baptized who has completed the fourteenth year of age can freely select any Church sui iuris in which he or she then is enrolled by virtue of baptism received in that same Church, with due regard for particular law established by the Apostolic See.

 

Can. 31 – No one can presume in any way to induce the Christian faithful to transfer to another Church sui iuris.

 

Can. 32 - §1. No one can validly transfer to another Church sui iuris without the consent of the Apostolic See.

 

§2. In the case of Christian faithful of an eparchy of a certain Church sui iuris who petition to transfer to another Church sui iuris which has its own eparchy in the same territory, this consent of the Apostolic See is presumed, provided that the eparchial bishops of both eparchies consent to the transfer in writing.

 

Can. 33 – A wife is at liberty to transfer to the Church of the husband at the celebration of or during the marriage; when the marriage has ended, she can freely return to the original Church sui iuris.

 

Can. 34 – If the parents, or the Catholic spouse in the case of a mixed marriage, transfer to another Church sui iuris, children under fourteen years old by the law itself are enrolled in the same Church; if in a marriage of Catholics only one parent transfers to another Church sui iuris, the children transfer only if both parents consent. Upon completion of the fourteenth year of age, the children can return to the original Church sui iuris.

 

Can. 35 – Baptized non-Catholics coming into full communion with the Catholic Church should retain and practice their own rite everywhere in the world and should observe it as much as humanly possible. Thus, they are to be enrolled in the Church sui iuris of the same rite with due regard for the right of approaching the Apostolic See in special cases of persons, communities or regions.

 

Can. 36 – The transfer to another Church sui iuris takes effect at the moment a declaration is made before the local hierarch or the proper pastor of the same Church or a priest delegated by either of them and two witnesses, unless the rescript of the Apostolic See provides otherwise.

 

Can. 37 – Every enrollment in a certain Church sui iuris or transfer to another Church sui iuris should be recorded in the baptismal register of the parish where the baptism was celebrated, even, as the case may be, in a Latin parish; if this cannot be done, it is to be kept by the proper pastor in another document in the archive of the parish of the Church sui iuris of enrollment.

 

Can. 38 – Christian faithful of Eastern Churches even if committed to the care of a hierarch or pastor of another Church sui iuris, nevertheless remain enrolled in their own Church.

 

CHAPTER II

THE PRESERVATION OF RITES

 

Can. 39 – The rites of the Eastern Churches, as the patrimony of the entire Church of Christ, in which there is clearly evident the tradition which has come from the Apostles through the Fathers and which affirm the divine unity in diversity of the Catholic faith, are to be religiously preserved and fostered.

 

Can. 40 - §1. Hierarchs who preside over Churches sui iuris and all other hierarchs are to see most carefully to the faithful protection and accurate observance of their own rite, and not admit changes in it except by reason of its organic progress, keeping in mind, however, mutual goodwill and the unity of Christians.

 

§2. Other clerics and members of institutes of consecrated life are bound to observe their own rite faithfully and daily to acquire a greater understanding and a more perfect practice of it.

 

§3. Other Christian faithful are also to foster an understanding and appreciation of their own rite, and are held to observe it everywhere unless something is excused by the law.

 

Can. 41 – The Christian faithful of any Church sui iuris, even the Latin Church, who have frequent relations with the Christian faithful of another Church sui iuris by reason of their office, ministry, or function, are to be accurately instructed in the knowledge and practice of the rite of that Church is keeping with the seriousness of the office, ministry or function which they fulfill.

 CODE OF CANONS OF THE EASTERN CHURCHES : TITLE-II

CODE OF CANONS OF THE EASTERN CHURCHES : TITLE - I

 CODE OF CANONS OF THE EASTERN CHURCHES : TITLE - I

CODE OF CANONS OF THE EASTERN CHURCHES : TITLE - I

TITLE: I

THE RIGHTS AND OBLIGATIONS OF ALL THE CHRISTIAN FAITHFUL

Can.7 - §1. The Christian faithful are those who, incorporated in Christ through baptism, have been constituted as the people of God; for this reason, since they have become sharers in Christ’s priestly, prophetic and royal function in their own manner; they are called, in accordance with the condition proper to each, to exercise the mission which God has entrusted to the Church to fulfill in the world.

 

§2. This Church, constituted and organized as a society in this world, subsists in the Catholic Church, governed by the successor of Peter and the bishops in communion with him.

 

Can.8 – In full communion with the Catholic Church on this earth are those baptized persons who are joined with Christ in its visible structure by the bonds of profession of faith, of the sacraments and of ecclesiastical governance.

Can.9 - §1. Since catechumens are in union with the Church in a special manner, that is, under the influence of the Holy Spirit, they ask to be incorporated into the Church by explicit choice and are therefore united with the Church by that choice just as by a life of faith, hope and charity which they lead; the Church already cherishes them as its own.

 

§2. The Church has special care for   catechumens, invites them to lead the evangelical life and introduces them into participation in the Divine Liturgy, the sacraments and the divine praises, and already grants them various prerogatives which are proper to Christians.

 

Can.10 – Attached to the Word of God and adhering to the authentic, living magisterium of the Church, the Christian faithful are bound to maintain integrally the faith which was preserved and transmitted at a great price by many and to profess it openly as well as to strive both to understand it better and to make it fruitful in works of charity.

 

Can.11 – In virtue of their rebirth in Christ there exists among all the Christian faithful a true equality with regard to dignity and the activity whereby all cooperate in the building up of the Body of Christ in accord with each one’s own condition and function.

 

Can.12 - §1. The Christian faithful are bound by an obligation in their own patterns of activity always to maintain communion with the Church.

 

§2. They are to fulfill with great diligence the duties which they owe to the universal Church and to their own Church sui iuris.

 

Can.13 – All the Christian faithful must make an effort, in accord with each one’s own condition, to live a holy life and to promote the growth of the Church and its continual sanctification.

 

Can.14 – All the Christian faithful have the right and the obligation of working so that the divine message of salvation may increasingly reach all peoples in every are and in every land.

 

Can.15 - §1. The Christian faithful, conscious of their own responsibility, are bound by Christian obedience to follow what the pastors of the Church, as representatives of Christ, declare as teachers of the faith or determine as leaders of the Church.

 

§2. The Christian faithful are free to make known their needs, especially spiritual ones, and their desires to the pastors of the Church.

 

§3. In accord with the knowledge, competence and position which they possess, they have the right and even at times a duty to manifest to the pastors of the Church their opinion on matters which pertain to the good of the Church, and they have a right to make their opinion known to the other Christian faithful, with due regard for the integrity of faith and morals and reverence for the same pastors, and with consideration for the common good and the dignity of persons.

 

Can.16 - The Christian faithful have the right to receive assistance from the pastors of the Church from the spiritual goods of the Church, especially the word of God and the sacraments.

 

Can.17 – The Christian faithful have the right to worship God according to the prescriptions of their own Church sui iuris, and to follow their own form of spiritual life consonant with the teaching of the Church.

 

Can.18 – The Christian faithful are free to found and to govern associations for charitable and religious purposes or for the promotion of the Christian vocation in the world; they are free to hold meetings to pursue these purposes in common.

 

Can.19 – All the Christian faithful, since they participate in the mission of the Church, have the right to promote or to sustain apostolic action by their own undertakings in accord with each one’s state and condition; however, no undertaking shall assume the name “Catholic” unless the consent of competent ecclesiastical authority is given.

 

Can.20 – The Christian faithful since they are called by baptism to lead a life in conformity with the teaching of the gospel, have the right to a Christian education by which they will be properly instructed so as to develop the maturity of a human person and at the same time come to know and live the mystery of salvation.

 

Can.21 – Those who are engaged in the sacred disciplines enjoy a lawful freedom of inquiry and of prudently expressing their opinions on matters in which they have expertise, while observing obsequium for the magisterium of the Church.

 

Can.22 – All the Christian faithful have the right to be free from any kind of coercion in choosing a state in life.

 

Can.23 – No one is permitted to damage unlawfully the good reputation which another person enjoys nor to violate the right of any person to protect his or her own privacy.

 

Can.24 - §1. The Christian faithful can legitimately vindicate and defend the rights which they enjoy in the Church before a competent ecclesiastical court in accordance with the norm of law.

 

§2. The Christian faithful also have the right, if they are summoned to judgment by competent authority, to be judged in accordance with the prescriptions of the law to be applied with equity.

 

§3. The Christian faithful have the right not to be punished with canonical penalties except in accordance with the norm of law.

 

Can.25 - §1. The Christian faithful are obliged to assist with the needs of the Church so that the Church has what is necessary for its proper ends, especially for divine worship, for apostolic works and works of charity and for the decent sustenance of ministers.

 

§2. They are also obliged to promote social justice and, mindful of the precept of the Lord, to assist the poor from their own resources.

 

Can.26 - §1. In exercising their rights, the Christian faithful, both as individuals and when gathered in associations, must take account of the common good of the Church and of the rights of others as well as their own obligations toward others.

 

§2. In the interest of the common good, ecclesiastical authority has competence to regulate the exercise of the rights which belong to the Christian faithful.

 

CODE OF CANONS OF THE EASTERN CHURCHES : TITLE - I