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Canon law (from Ancient Greek: κανών, kanon, a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its members.
The canon law of the Catholic Church is articulated in the legal code for the Latin Church [9] as well as a code for the Eastern Catholic Churches. [9] This canon law has principles of legal interpretation, [10] and coercive penalties. [11] It lacks civilly-binding force in most secular jurisdictions.
The canon law of the Latin Church was the first modern Western legal system, [39] and is the oldest continuously functioning legal system in the West. [40] [41] while the distinctive traditions of Eastern Catholic canon law govern the 23 Eastern Catholic particular churches sui iuris.
An ordinance or ecclesiastical ordinance is a type of law, legal instrument, or by-law in the canon law of the Catholic Church, the Anglican Communion, and in Calvinism.. Each Christian denomination that has a hierarchy tends to need rules and regulations that define the rights, privileges, powers, and responsibilities of each individual cleric (such as deacon, priest or pastor, bishop ...
The 1917 Code of Canon Law has been described as "the greatest revolution in canon law since the time of Gratian" [3] (1150s AD). The 1917 Code of Canon Law was composed of laws called canons, of which there were 2,414. [4] It remained in force until the 1983 Code of Canon Law took legal effect and abrogated it [1] on 27 November 1983. [5]
Corpus Juris Canonici ('Body of Canon Law'), a collection of sources of canon law of the Catholic Church applicable to the Latin Church until 1918; 1917 Code of Canon Law, code of canon law for the Catholic Latin Church from 1918 to 1983; 1983 Code of Canon Law, code of canon law for the Catholic Latin Church from 1983 to today
In canon law, a canon designates some law promulgated by a synod, an ecumenical council, or an individual bishop. [ 2 ] The word "canon" comes from the Greek kanon , which in its original usage denoted a straight rod that was later the instrument used by architects and artificers as a measuring stick for making straight lines.
Possibly the earliest known instance of a Catholic priest serving in public office in the United States was Gabriel Richard. Born in France, he founded the University of Michigan and served as a delegate from Michigan Territory from 1823 to 1825. Two priests, Robert Drinan and Robert John Cornell, have served in the United States Congress.