(Latest revision, 1983) The universal law of the Catholic Church that defines roles, relationships, and responsibilities. Canons 573 to 746 deal with religious* under the title "Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life."
the official body of laws for Catholics of the Roman, or Latin rite, contained in a work called the Code of Canon Law. The revised Code was promulgated in 1983.
The rules (canons or laws) which provide the norms for good order in the visible society of the Church. Those canons that apply universally are contained in the Codes of Canon Law. The most recent Code of Canon Law was promulgated in 1983 for the Latin (Western) Church and in 1991 for the Eastern Church (The Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches).
The body of law that governs church practice and protects the rights and privileges of individuals and community.
the body of codified laws governing the affairs of a Christian church
a law or statute of the church
law of medieval Catholic Church.
the body of codified ecclesiastical law
the body of ecclesiastical rules or laws imposed by authority in matters of faith, morals and discipline
the Code of Canon Law (latest version published in 1983) contains some 1680 canons, or official regulations, governing Roman Catholic cardinals, bishops, priests, Brothers, Sisters, institutes, laity, parishes, schools, sacraments, etc.
the law of the Roman Catholic and Anglican churches. A canon is a rule adopted by a council.
Rules or laws relating to faith, morals and discipline as prescribed by the Ecumenical and Provincial Councils and the Holy Fathers.
The codified body of general laws governing the Church.
The law of the Christian Church having little or no legal effect today. Canon law refers to the body of law which has been set by the Christian Church and which, in almost all countries, is not binding upon citizens and has virtually no recognition in the judicial system. Some citizens resort to canon law, however, for procedures such as marriage annulments to allow for a Christian church marriage where one of the parties has been previously divorced. Many churchgoers and church officers abide by rulings and doctrines of canon law. See also "ecclesiastical law."
(Also, "ecclesiastical law.") The body of law that governs Church institutions; it includes the general law of the Church (including the decrees of the seven ecumenical councils of the early Church), the constitutions and canons of the jurisdiction, province, and diocese, and the body of jurisprudence interpreting and applying the law.
Canon law is the term used for the internal ecclesiastical law which governs various churches, most notably the Roman Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Churches and the Anglican Communion of churches. The way that such church law is legislated, interpreted and at times adjudicated varies widely among these three bodies of churches. In all three traditions, a canon was initially a rule adopted by a council (From Greek kanon / κανών, for rule, standard, or measure); these canons formed the foundation of canon law.
Canon law, the ecclesiastical law of the Roman 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. The academic degrees in canon law are the J.C.B. (Juris Canonici Baccalaureatus, Bachelor of Canon Law, normally taken as a graduate degree), J.C.L.