The Code of Canon Law is a set of regulations ensuring structure and discipline in the earthly workings of the Church.
The Code covers a huge variety of topics—from the Sacraments, to the Church’s temporal goods, to disciplinary regulations, to catechesis. If questions arise about what to do in a given situation or how an ecclesiastical function is to be done, Canon Law has the answers.
Canon Law was the result of centuries of slow growth. It was gradually compiled from the Apostles, tradition, and various decrees of Church councils. In the middle of the 12th century, a Benedictine monk and jurist named Gratian collected the various decrees, wrote a commentary on them, and endeavored to extract general principles from them.
The Church relied on his work until about the mid-13th century, when Pope Gregory IX asked St. Raymond of Peñafort—whose feast day is today!—to revise, organize, and clarify the collection of canons (canon = a rule or law found in Canon Law).
By this time, St. Raymond had studied both secular and ecclesiastical law for 25 years. He set to work condensing 1300 years of Church legislature into five basic categories: judge, judgment, clergy, marriages, and crime. The five categories could not contain all the canons, but they created a workable system that was used for nearly 700 years—right up until 1917, in fact, when Canon Law was codified into the form most similar to what we have today.
Canon Law is a solid buttress in the Church’s organization. Another crucial support is the Catechism of the Catholic Church—the complete guide to the Catholic Church’s teachings. This beautiful summary draws on Scripture and the Church’s Magisterium to explain every doctrine and answer any question. A crucial bookshelf item for every Catholic household. Get your copy today at The Catholic Company!
