An Introduction to Canon Law

by James A. Coriden

Canon law is the name given to the rules that govern church order and discipline of the Roman Catholic Church. This valuable book, which has been updated to reflect changes and adaptations in canon law and new resources in the field, offers an introductory orientation of all of canon law. A superb teaching and learning tool, it provides outlines and overviews of relatively complex areas of canon law, sketches the basic structure and design of the various offices and functions within the church and how they relate to each other, and gives an orientation to the more important areas of canon law, as well as a background and context within which more detailed rules can be understood. Two appendices offer guidance for doing canonical research and case studies for further discussion. †

Genres: Theology, Law, Religion

243 pages, Paperback

First published July 1, 1991

Reviews

[Peter Davids · Rating 5 out of 5]

Canon Law is not everyone's favorite subject, but every church community has its equivalent. It is the rules and procedures that are followed, oral or written. In the Catholic Church it is very much written, for a large body of believers needs a well-organized body of rules, definitions, and directives, so that everyone is on the same page. Coriden does an excellent job of giving the rationale for the organization of the body of canon law, setting out its history, and then going over the core laws in summary form. He makes it clear, he makes it logical, he makes one want to read the whole body of canon law. And that is his purpose. He tells the reader at the beginning that this is an introduction to help the reader make sense of the whole body. So this reader went and checked out some of the critical sections. Sure enough, Coriden had made them clear and with his introduction it was easy to follow and comprehend the whole. Now this was written over the Catholic Church's canon law, but it would make good reading for other church communities - they could avoid reinventing the wheel, avoid problems before they started, and also avoid making pronouncements about the Catholic Church that are not accurate (I recently read someone, a Protestant, who said that marriage annulment was easy in the Catholic Church - he obviously was not familiar with the Catholic Canon Law). If one wishes to explore this area of the Catholic Church, this book is the place to start.

[Jacabaeus · Rating 4 out of 5]

An absolutely excellent introduction and overview of Catholic (Roman rite) canon law. Very readable, easily digestible, and well constructed writing. The only thing I wish it did was delve a little further in to procedure (such as forms and how litigation is conducted).

[Steven H · Rating 5 out of 5]

A PROFESSOR OF CANON LAW PROVIDES A "GUIDE" TO IT

At the time this book was first published in 1991, James Coriden was Academic Dean and professor of Canon Law at the Washington Theological Union in Washington, D.C.; he has also written books such as 'Parish in Catholic Tradition: History, Theology, and Canon Law,' 'Canon Law As Ministry: Freedom and Good Order for the Church,' 'The Rights of Catholics in the Church,' etc., and is one of the general editors of 'The Code of Canon Law: A Text and Commentary.'

He wrote in the Preface, "The Code of Canon Law is the central and coordinating compilation of rules for the Western (or Latin) Church. It must be the primary source and reference in any introductory course in canon law...

"This book is a guide to the Code. It points to and leads into the Code; it refers constantly to the canons of the Code. It offers a way of organizing the material for a course based on the Code... It leads a person to the text itself so that the words can be understood and their meaning appreciated. It does not ... comment on chapters and verses... it is not 'Canon Law made Easy.' It attempts to describe canonical structures accurately, and to explain technical terms so that their meanings are clear."

He observes that the original Code of 1917 "furthered the centralization of authority at both papal and episcopal levels, and reinforced an extreme uniformity of practice in the church. But it also brought relative order out of the chaotic state of canon law at the beginning of the twentieth century. The promulgation of the Code marked the opening of a new canonical epoch." (Pg. 27)

Of the new Code, he states, "For the first time in the history of canon law, this Code presents a list of the rights and obligations of all of the church's members, lay persons as well as ministers... This 'bill of rights' is truly of constitutional proportions. That is, because of their placement in the Code, their unique history and intrinsic importance, and because the legislator has so designated them, these rights and duties are of foundational and primary significance." (Pg. 56)

He notes, "Canonically, marriage is a preoccupation for the Roman Catholic Church. The Code devotes one hundred and eleven canons to marriage, and many more to the procedures which govern marriage courts. Every Catholic diocese has a marriage court, and these courts, in the United States, process over 70,000 petitions regarding marital status each year. Church personnel in the hundreds and funds in the millions support this activity." (Pg. 132)

He defines the "Pauline Privilege" thusly: "a marriage between two non-baptized persons. A marriage entered by two non-baptized persons is dissolved by means of the Pauline Privilege in favor of the faith of a party who received baptism. The marriage is dissolved by the very fact that a new marriage is contracted by the party who has been baptized, provided the non-baptized party departs... The procedure ... is based on the words of Paul in 1 Corinthians 7:12-15." (Pg. 140)

For anyone who wants to know more about Canon Law, including its history and development, this book will be very helpful.

[Patti Clement · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my textbooks for graduate school canon law class. It was a good overview of the law.

[Happyhappa]

Interesting book ...