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 one’s 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)
Last Update: 10.17.17