1983 Code of Canon Law
Encyclopedia
The 1983 Code of Canon Law (abbreviated 1983 CIC from its Latin title Codex [or Codicis] Iuris Canonici) is the codification of canonical
Canon law (Catholic Church)
The canon law of the Catholic Church, is a fully developed legal system, with all the necessary elements: courts, lawyers, judges, a fully articulated legal code and principles of legal interpretation. It lacks the necessary binding force present in most modern day legal systems. The academic...

 legislation
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...

 for the Latin Rite of the Catholic Church. It was promulgated on 25 January 1983 by Pope John Paul II.
The Eastern Catholic Churches follow the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches
Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches
The Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches is the title of the 1990 codification of the common portions of the Canon Law for the 22 of the 23 sui iuris Churches in the Catholic Church. The Roman or Latin rite Church is guided by its own particular Canons...

, promulgated in 1990.

History

The current Code of Canon Law is the second codification of Latin ecclesiastical law, replacing the Pio-Benedictine code that had been promulgated in 1917. See also Canon Law-Codification and Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches
Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches
The Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches is the title of the 1990 codification of the common portions of the Canon Law for the 22 of the 23 sui iuris Churches in the Catholic Church. The Roman or Latin rite Church is guided by its own particular Canons...

.

Blessed
Beatification
Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name . Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process...

 Pope John XXIII
Pope John XXIII
-Papal election:Following the death of Pope Pius XII in 1958, Roncalli was elected Pope, to his great surprise. He had even arrived in the Vatican with a return train ticket to Venice. Many had considered Giovanni Battista Montini, Archbishop of Milan, a possible candidate, but, although archbishop...

, when proclaiming a new ecumenical council
Ecumenical council
An ecumenical council is a conference of ecclesiastical dignitaries and theological experts convened to discuss and settle matters of Church doctrine and practice....

 for the Catholic Church, also announced the intention of revising the 1917 CIC. It was not feasible to revise the Code of Canon Law until after the conclusion of the Second Vatican Council
Second Vatican Council
The Second Vatican Council addressed relations between the Roman Catholic Church and the modern world. It was the twenty-first Ecumenical Council of the Catholic Church and the second to be held at St. Peter's Basilica in the Vatican. It opened under Pope John XXIII on 11 October 1962 and closed...

, so that the decisions of the Council could guide the revision of ecclesiastical laws. Several of the council documents gave specific instructions regarding changes to the organization of the Catholic Church, in particular the decrees Christus Dominus
Christus Dominus
Christus Dominus is the Second Vatican Council's Decree on the Pastoral Office of Bishops. It was approved by a vote of 2,319 to 2 of the assembled bishops and was promulgated by Pope Paul VI on October 28, 1965. The title in Latin means "Christ the Lord," and is from the first line of the...

, Presbyterorum Ordinis
Presbyterorum Ordinis
Presbyterorum Ordinis, the Decree on the Ministry and Life of Priests, is one of the documents produced by the Second Vatican Council. Promulgated by Pope Paul VI on December 7, 1965, it had been earlier approved by the assembled bishops by a vote of 2,390 to 4...

, Perfectae Caritatis
Perfectae Caritatis
Perfectæ Caritatis, the Decree on the Adaptation and Renewal of Religious Life, is the document issued by the Second Vatican Council which deals specifically with institutes of consecrated life in the Roman Catholic Church...

, and Ad Gentes
Ad Gentes
Ad Gentes is the Second Vatican Council's Decree on the Missionary Activity of the Church.-Conciliar vote:Passed by assembled bishops by a vote of 2,394 to 5, it was promulgated by Pope Paul VI on December 7, 1965...

. In 1966, Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...

 issued norms to apply these instructions through the motu proprio
Motu proprio
A motu proprio is a document issued by the Pope on his own initiative and personally signed by him....

 Ecclesiae Sanctae.

The Pontifica Commissio Codici iuris canonici recognoscendo, which had been established in 1963, continued the work of revising the Code of Canon Law through the pontificate of Pope Paul VI
Pope Paul VI
Paul VI , born Giovanni Battista Enrico Antonio Maria Montini , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church from 21 June 1963 until his death on 6 August 1978. Succeeding Pope John XXIII, who had convened the Second Vatican Council, he decided to continue it...

, completing the work in the first years of the pontificate of Blessed
Beatification
Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name . Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process...

 Pope John Paul II
Pope John Paul II
Blessed Pope John Paul II , born Karol Józef Wojtyła , reigned as Pope of the Catholic Church and Sovereign of Vatican City from 16 October 1978 until his death on 2 April 2005, at of age. His was the second-longest documented pontificate, which lasted ; only Pope Pius IX ...

.

On 25 January 1983, with the Apostolic Constitution Sacrae disciplinae leges
Sacrae Disciplinae Leges
Sacrae Disciplinae Leges is the title of an apostolic constitutionby Blessed John Paul II, issued on January 25, 1983.This apostolic constitution instituted the 1983 Code of Canon Law for the Latin Rite Church. In contrast, the Code of Canon Law for the other 22 Eastern Churches dates to the Ap....

Blessed
Beatification
Beatification is a recognition accorded by the Catholic Church of a dead person's entrance into Heaven and capacity to intercede on behalf of individuals who pray in his or her name . Beatification is the third of the four steps in the canonization process...

 John Paul II promulgated the current Code of Canon Law for all members of the Catholic Church who belonged to the Latin Rite. It entered into force the first Sunday of the following Advent
Advent
Advent is a season observed in many Western Christian churches, a time of expectant waiting and preparation for the celebration of the Nativity of Jesus at Christmas. It is the beginning of the Western liturgical year and commences on Advent Sunday, called Levavi...

, which was 27 November 1983. In promulgating the new Codex Iuris Canonici, the Pope explained the new code in this way:

Structure

The 1983 Code of Canon Law contains 1752 canons, or laws, most subdivided into paragraphs (indicated by "§") and/or numbers (indicated by "°"). Hence a citation of the Code would be written as Can. (or Canon) 934, §2, 1°.

The Code is organized into seven Books, which are further divided into Part, Section, Title, Chapter and Article. Not every book contains all five subdivisions.

This is the outline of the seven books of the 1983 Code of Canon Law.

BOOK I. GENERAL NORMS (Cann. 1-203)
  • Explains the general application of laws


BOOK II. THE PEOPLE OF GOD (Cann. 204-746)
  • Goes into the rights and obligations of laypeople and clergy, and outlines the hierarchical organization of the Church


BOOK III. THE TEACHING FUNCTION OF THE CHURCH (Cann. 747-833)
  • Christian ministry, missionary activity, education, and social communication


BOOK IV. THE SANCTIFYING FUNCTION OF THE CHURCH (Cann. 834-1253)
  • Sacraments and other acts of worship and sacred places and times


BOOK V. THE TEMPORAL GOODS OF THE CHURCH (Cann. 1254-1310)
  • Ownership, contracts, and wills


BOOK VI. SANCTIONS IN THE CHURCH (Cann. 1311-1399)
  • Crimes and punishment


BOOK VII PROCESSES (Cann. 1400-1752)
  • Trials and Tribunals

Notable Canons

Canon 97 reduces the canonical age of majority
Age of Majority (Catholic Church)
The Age of Majority in the Catholic Church is 18 following the general consensus of Civil law, though, until Advent 1983, the Age of Majority was 21, based on the Roman Law age.----...

 from 21 to 18, according to the consensus of civil law
Law
Law is a system of rules and guidelines which are enforced through social institutions to govern behavior, wherever possible. It shapes politics, economics and society in numerous ways and serves as a social mediator of relations between people. Contract law regulates everything from buying a bus...

.

Canons 823 to 824 decree that bishops are obligated to censor material concerning faith or morals.

The implementation of Canon 915 is quite controversial. See the article Canon 915
Canon 915
Canon 915, one of the canons of the current 1983 Code of Canon Law, forbids the administration of Holy Communion to those upon whom the penalty of excommunication or interdict has been imposed or declared or who persist in manifest grave sin...

for more information.

Canon 916 decrees clergy in mortal sin
Mortal sin
Mortal sins are in the theology of some, but not all Christian denominations wrongful acts that condemn a person to Hell after death. These sins are considered "mortal" because they constitute a rupture in a person's link to God's saving grace: the person's soul becomes "dead", not merely weakened...

 cannot celebrate Mass
Mass
Mass can be defined as a quantitive measure of the resistance an object has to change in its velocity.In physics, mass commonly refers to any of the following three properties of matter, which have been shown experimentally to be equivalent:...

, and laypeople in mortal sin cannot receive the Eucharist
Eucharist
The Eucharist , also called Holy Communion, the Sacrament of the Altar, the Blessed Sacrament, the Lord's Supper, and other names, is a Christian sacrament or ordinance...

, except when they have a grave reason and there is no opportunity to confess, in which case they must make a Act of Perfect Contrition and confess their mortal sins as soon as possible.

Canon 919 §1 decrees a one-hour fast before the reception of the Eucharist (this fast does not include water or medicine).

External links

  • MCMLXXXIII Codex Iuris Canonici (original and sole official Latin text)
  • Code of Canon Law with the 1998 modification of canons 750 and 1371 (English translation by the Canon Law Society of America)
  • Code of Canon Law (English translation by the Canon Law Society of Great Britain and Ireland, assisted by the Canon Law Society of Australia and New Zealand and the Canadian Canon Law Society)
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