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QUIK-CLICK GUIDE TO THIS PAGE:
Role of Law in the Church
Duties We Have as Catholics
Rights We Have as Catholics
Penalties Imposed by Church Law
Traditional Precepts of the Church
Resources on Canon Law
Rights and
Duties of
Catholics
Under the 1983
Code of Canon Law
The
Role of Law in
the Church
Despite its spiritual nature, the Church on earth is composed of
imperfect human beings. Thus laws are needed, just as in civil
society, to protect the rights of the People of God, and also to
prescribe their responsibiliTies as members of the Christian
community.
It is important at the outset not to confuse Church law and
moral law.... Church law governs the external relationships of
individuals in the Christian community. In itself it does not
bind under pain of sin, although sin may well be involved when
Church law is transgressed....
The direct relationship of the individual to God is governed by
a higher law, which includes the moral norms.... Transgression
of moral law involves sin.
Canon law requires that its laws must indeed be obeyed, but with
the following understanding: When the spiritual needs of the
individual or group are such that strict adherence to the law
would prove counter-productive, or when there is doubt about how
to apply the law to a particular situation, the obligations of
the law may be removed by one having the authority [to remove
them]....
The Church is a multifaceted society -- all of its various
aspects,...even its laws, are ordered to a supernatural end....
By keeping this in mind, we can see the canons not as a
collection of restricting rules, but as a guide to living the
Christian life within a specific community, the Catholic Church.
-- Thomas P. Doyle OP.
Rights and
Responsibilities -- A Catholic's Guide to the New Code of Canon
Law (Pueblo, 1983).
Duties We Have As Catholics
1.To maintain communion with the Church and
fulfil our Christian duties. (209)
2.
To seek the truth about God and the
Church; to embrace that truth and keep it.
(748)
3.
To obey Church authority. (212)
4.
To express to Church authorities our viewpoint on matters which affect the
Church.
(212)
5.
To lead a holy life. (210)
6.
To assist at Mass on Sundays and holy
days of obligation; to abstain from work
or
business that inhibits worship, celebration or
relaxation on those days.
(1247)
7.
To take an active part in the celebration of
Mass and to receive Communion
frequently. (898)
8.
To receive Communion at least once a year,
during the Easter season. (920)
9.
To abstain from food and drink (other than
water) one hour before receiving
Communion. (919)
10.
To refrain from receiving Communion if
under the penalty of excommunication,
interdict, or grave sin. (915, 916)
11. To make an individual and complete confession of all grave sins, unless
physically or
morally unable to do so. (960)
12.
To confess grave sins by kind and number at
least once a year. (988, 989)
13.
To be Confirmed at the proper time. (890)
14.
To be married in the presence of a priest (or
a lay person designated by the
bishop) and
two witnesses. (1108, 1112, 1119)
15.
To do penance and observe special days of
penance established by the
Church (such as
the Fridays and the season of Lent).
(1250)
16.
To fast and abstain from meat on Ash
Wednesday and Good Friday. (1251)
17.
To proclaim the Gospel and give witness to
Christian faith by our activity in the
world. (211, 225)
18.
To reject doctrines contrary to the teaching of
the Scriptures or those proposed
as
divinely revealed by the Church. (750)
19.
To give "religious submission of intellect and
will" to doctrines declared to be
matters of
faith and morals by the Church. (752)
20.
To adhere with a "religious submission of
mind" to the authentic teachings of
the
bishops. (753)
21.
To observe other decrees which Church
authorities issue to define doctrine or
erroneous opinions. (754)
22.
To fulfill the responsibilities to one's
spouse and family incurred by marriage.
(1134, 1135)
23.
To build up the family of God through our
marriage and family. (226)
24.
To baptize our children and raise them in the
Catholic faith. (867, 1366)
25.
To provide for the religious education of our
children. (226, 774)
26.
To establish, promote and maintain
Catholic schools. (800)
27.
To promote social justice according to the
Church's teaching. (222)
28.
To care for the needs of the poor. (222)
29.
To support the church financially. (222,
1262)
Rights We Have As Catholics
1.
To be recognized as fundamentally equal
with all other Christians. (208)
2.
To be free from being forced to embrace the
Catholic faith against our
conscience. (748)
3.
To cooperate in building up the Body of
Christ and spreading the Gospel. (208,
211, 225)
4.
To make our spiritual needs known to our
pastors. (212)
5.
To express our opinion to Church
authorities concerning what is good for the
Church. (212)
6.
To choose our vocation or state in life.
(219)
7.
To worship according to our own rite and to
follow our own form of spirituality.
(214)
8.
To hear the Word of God and receive the
sacraments. (213, 843)
9.
To receive Holy Communion if we have
sufficient understanding and are not
forbidden to do so by Church law. (912, 913)
10.
To have our confession heard by a priest who
is suitably prepared. (970)
11.
To confess to a priest of our own choice.
(991)
12.
To be granted absolution without delay if
there is no doubt about the sincerity
of our
confession. (980)
13.
To have our confession treated in absolute
confidentiality; to be protected from
having
information we confess revealed in any
way, for any reason. (983, 984)
14.
To marry, unless prohibited by law from
doing so. (1058)
15.
To be supported by the Church in
preserving and strengthening our marriage.
(1063)
16.
To marry a non-Catholic, with the permission of the bishop, under the
procedures
established by Church law. (1124, 1125)
17.
To be separated from a spouse who
creates grave danger of soul or body to
oneself or our children, or who otherwise
makes common life difficult. (1153)
18.
To receive a Church funeral and be buried in
a Church cemetery (unless we are
judged to
be notorious apostates, heretics, schismatics, or a sinner whose
burial in the
Church would cause public scandal). (1176, 1180, 1184)
19.
To be cremated (unless done for reasons
contrary to Christian teaching).
(1180)
20.
To have Christian teaching explained in a
manner that is suited to our condition
in life and
the circumstances of the times. (769)
21.
To associate with others and to hold
meetings for charitable reasons and for
reasons related to our vocation in life. (215)
22.
To engage in apostolic action, according to
our state in life and appropriate
preparation. (216)
23.
To receive a Christian education, study
theology, and research theological
issues.
(217, 218, 229)
24.
To choose the means which can best
promote the education of our children
and to
seek the assistance of civil society in the
education of our children.
(793)
25.
To have our good name and reputation
protected. (220)
26.
To have our privacy respected. (220)
27.
To be protected from unnecessary or
unfair penalties and the arbitrary
imposition of
penalties not specifically required by
Church law. (221, 1316,
1319)
28.
To be protected from penalties imposed for
violations resulting from ignorance
or
misunderstanding and from penalties
imposed without warning. (1321, 1323,
1339, 1341)
29.
To vindicate our rights in a church court
when they have been violated. (221)
30.
To hold certain offices in the Church for
which we are qualified. (228, 230, 766,
776, 910, 1112)
31.
To receive a just wage if we are employed by
the Church. (231)
32.
To exercise the rights guaranteed to us as
citizens by civil law. (227)
Penalities Imposed by
Church Law
The following incur automatic excommunication. (Numbers
1
through 5 may ordinarily be absolved only by the Holy See;
numbers 6
and 7 may be absolved by the bishop or by
a priest delegated by the bishop.)
1. Using physical force against the Pope.
(1370)
2.
Absolving an accomplice in sexual sin.
3.
Desecrating or retaining the Holy
Eucharist for an illicit purpose. (1367)
4.
Direct violation of the seal of
confession by a priest. (1388)
5.
Consecration of a bishop without permission of the Pope. (1382)
6.
Apostasy (publicly denying the faith),
heresy or schism. (1371)
7.
Procuring an abortion. (1398)
The Code recommends canonical
penalties but does not automatically
impose specific penalties for the following:
1.
Against parents who have their children
baptized or raised in another religion.
(1366)
2.
Using the public media or a public
meeting for blasphemy, to defame or
stir up contempt for the Church. (1369)
3.
Using physical force against a bishop,
priest or vowed religious. (1370)
4.
Against priests or religious in perpetual
vows who attempt to marry. (1394)
5.
Against a person who is not a priest who
attempts to celebrate Mass, give
absolution, or celebrate a sacrament.
(1378, 1379, 1384)
6.
Against a priest living in concubinage or
who commits a sexual crime by
force, by threat, in public, or with a
minor. (1395)
7.
For crimes of homicide, forced
detention or mutilation. (1397)
Traditional
Precepts of the Church
According to the traditional Precepts of the Church or Laws
of the
Church Catholics have an obligation:
To attend Mass on Sundays and holy days of obligation.
(1246-1248)
To
confess serious sins at least once a year. (989)
To receive Holy Communion at least once a year during the
Easter season.
(920)
To
keep holy the holy days of obligation. (1246)
To
observe the prescribed days of fasting and abstinence. (1249-1251)
To
provide for the material needs of the Church, according to ones ability. (222)
[cf.
Catechism of the Catholic
Church, 1994 (#2041-2043).]
Resources on
Canon Law
Code of Canon Law (Libreria Editrice Vatican,
1983)
Apostolic Constitution Sacrae Disciplinae Leges
(John Paul II, 2983)
Apostolic Letter Ad Tuendam Fidem
(John Paul
II, 1998)
Canon Law
Seminar (United States Conference of Catholic Bishops)
Introduction to Canon Law (Edward N. Peters)
Rights of the Laity (Charles M. Wilson)
Understanding Canon Law (The Catholic New World)
Posted
06.18.10
Last Update
06.21.10
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