Code of Canon Law

The Code of Canon Law ( lat. Codex iuris canonici , CIC ) is a corpus of legal norms of a general and universal nature, governing the Catholic Church of the Latin Rite . The current PAC was adopted in 1983 .

Canon law is based on the disciplinary norms of the Ancient Church. Despite this, for centuries it was not codified. The first attempt to summarize church legal norms was made in the XII century , when the Church appeared so-called. "Decree of Gratian " ( lat. Concordia discordantium canonum , literally "Harmonization of canonical differences"). This decree systematized canon law and became, in fact, its first summing code, although it was not officially approved by the Holy See . Collections of papal decrets , which were subsequently issued, supplemented this decree.

By 1500, the canon law Corps ( lat. Corpus iuris canonici ) was prepared, which included the Grantín Decree and the papal decretals that supplement it, collectively referred to as “ lat. Extravagantes ”, that is,“ Going beyond ”(Gratian’s Decree). In 1580, the Corps was approved by Pope Gregory XIII and remained in force until 1918.

In 1917, the Code of Canon Law approved by Pope Benedict XV , which, unlike the medieval Corps, was not a mechanical collection of laws, but a universal and systematic legal collection , came into force. The code consisted of 2414 canons, divided into five books: general principles, categories of persons in canonical law, means of the Church in carrying out its mission, procedures related to ecclesiastical courts, offenses and punishments.

In 1983, the Code of Canon Law was reworked and proclaimed in the apostolic constitution of John Paul II "Sacrae disciplinae leges". The current Code consists of 1752 canons, divided into seven books:

• About general norms
• About the people of God
• On the teaching ministry of the Church
• On the ministry of consecration in the Church
• About temporary benefits in the Church
• About sanctions in the Church
• About processes

The Code of Canon Law of 1983 is valid only for the Catholic Church of the Latin Rite . In the Eastern Catholic churches , the Code of canons of the Eastern Churches , adopted in 1990, is in force.