Canon Law

The Code of Canon Law is the legal code of the Council of Bishops. It deals purely with spiritual and ecclesial matters and holds no civil weight.

WORK IN PROGRESS

Laws and Ordinances
Can. 1. All laws are binding once they have been promulgated by the ordinary.

Can. 2. Universal laws are published with commentaries from the holy office of Inquisitors. Particular laws are promulgated for a group and do not require commentaries.

Can. 3. That which is customary to a given society or community, if not against the perscriptions of the Light's natural law, hold the force of perticular law for that society.

Can. 4. Executive decree cannot override the perscriptions of laws perticular or universal.

Ecclesiatical Societies
Can. 5 §1. The ordinary may allow for the establishment of Orders and Colleges if the establishment of such societies are to the greater benefit of the faithful.

§2. The proposed superior must prepare a preliminary charter for approval by the ordinary. He must have the support of four other individuals.

Can. 6. It is the duty of the society to prepare a system of governing which requires the approval of the Ordinary.

Can. 7. The code provides that each society be granted at least one Inquisitor to interpret and define law.

Can. 8.  §1. Members of both the clergy and the laity are granted the right to establish Confraternities with the approval of any Ecclesial body.

§2. These similarly require the preparing of a charter to be approved by the Inquisitor of the Ecclesial body responsible for the confraternities' establishment.

Can. 9.  §1. Ordinaries may establish parishes within their own diocese.

§2. Each parish requires the assignment of a pastor. A pastor may serve multiple parishes.

§3. A parish is given a geographical boundary. All who live within the boundary are the responsibility of the pastor.

Those Admitted to Orders
Can. 10.  §1. The ordinary may select individuals of the laity for the responsibility of orders.

§2. Those admitted to orders must be educated in: §3. Aspirants to the Paladinhood must also study the Code of the Silver Hand.
 * 1) Philosophy of Quomas Athinas
 * 2) Luxology of Columban Blackmoore
 * 3) Canon of Scripture
 * 4) Liturgy

§4. Candidates must be questioned by the Ordinary or his deputy regarding each section.

§5. Candidates must not be fugitives of the state and must be of good moral character. ==Marriage and Divorce== Can. 11. §1. Those wishing to marry must request the permission of the a member of the priesthood.

§2. It is the duty of the priest to ensure that both members of the proposed marriage are freely entering into this union.

§3. A priest is not permitted to marry two individuals when at least one is a


 * 1) professed heretic, or


 * 1) schismatic, or

§4. It is the duty of the priest to provide marriage preparation to the individuals.
 * 1) excommunicated.

§5. One witness, apart from the priest and the two individuals, must be present.

Can. 12. §1. A couple which is either divorced or seeking divorce is not recognized by the church as separated until the Holy Office of Inquisitors declares the marriage invalid (Annulment).

§2. A marriage is invalid if any of the following apply: §3. It is the duty of the inquisitor to interpret the quality of the marriage in relation to the above categories.
 * 1) One or both parties did not have freedom of choice at the time of consent, or
 * 2) One or both parties did not have knowledge of or proper mental capabilities to understand marriage at the time of consent, or
 * 3) The marriage was not consummated, or
 * 4) An ecclesial certificate of marriage signed by the ecclesial witness was not issued.

§4. A priest may not permit an individual to marriage whose previous marriage has not been declared invalid.

Can. 13. §1. It is the duty of the Holy Office to issue a marriage license.

§2. Marriages without licenses on file cannot be considered valid and do not require an annulment to be declared invalid.

Can. 14. It is the duty of the parents to see to the support and education of children.

Can. 15. In the event of divorce, the Church does not hold itself responsible for deciding matters of child custody.

Ecclesastical Courts
Can. 16. §1. There exists within the Church the Inquisitor's court. It is the duty of the court to interpret the code, solve disputes, and handle all matters of law.

§2. The Inquisitor's court is divided into two sections:
 * 1) The Local Tribunal which is proper to each diocese and headed by the diocesan Judical Vicar
 * 2) The High Tribunal which is headed by the prefect of the Congregation of the Inquisition

Can. 17. The ordinary appoints judges to the Court. The candidates ought be educated duly in the code.

Can. 18. Judges must be of good moral standing and devout members of the faithful. They ought to make all judgements through prayer.

Can. 19. The Inquisitor may seek the support of other members of the clergy and duly educated laity if it would prevent a formal trial or a prolonged case

Can. 20. A formal trial must be held for the following cases:
 * 1) Removal of ecclesial office
 * 2) Disputations on validity of anointing/ordination

Can. 21. A formal trial may be held for the following cases:
 * 1) Difficulity in deciding validity of marriage
 * 2) Disputation of an executive order
 * 3) Disputation of an inquisitor's judement
 * 4) Excommunication

Can. 22. §1. The judgement of the Local Tribunal may be appealed to the High Tribunal presided by a member of the college of bishops.

§2. The judgement of the Pontifical Court is binding.

Can. 23. §1. Any individual directly related to the case may make an appeal.

§2. Individuals indirectly related to the case may make an appeal with Episcopal approval.

Can. 24. The ordinary appoints the judge of a trial.

Can. 25. It is the duty of the ordinary to ensure that the trial is performed lawfully.

Penalties and Punishments
Can. 26. An excommunicated person is forbidden:
 * 1) from any ministerial participation in the Church
 * 2) from the exercise ecclesial offices

Can. 27. Suspension, which only affects clerics, prohibits:
 * 1) all priveledge of orders
 * 2) the exercise of ecclesial offices

Can. 28. Suspension never affects the right of the individual to the residency his office grants.

Can. 29. Dismissal from the clericial state removes all rights and priveldeges of ecclesial office including right of residence.

Can. 30. An ordinary must provide a warning or rebuke before imposing a penalty.

Can. 31. §1. A penance is an act of piety or charity.

§2. A public penance is never imposed for occult transgressions.

§3. According to his own prudent judgement, the ordinary may add penances to a warning or rebuke.

Can. 32. Whenever the offender has committed delict out of imperfect reason either though some mental condition or an external power, the judge may pardon punishment if the offender may be reformed.

Can. 33. §1. Without prejudice, an apostate from the faith, a heretic, or a schismatic incurs an excommunication,

§2. in addition a cleric may be punished through Can. 29.

§3. A contumacy of long duration or if the gravity of scandal demands it, other penalties can be added, including dismissal from the clerical state.

Can. 34. A person guilty of prohibited participation in non-sacred rites is to be punished with a just penalty.

Can. 35. §1. A person who throws away, takes or retains a holy object for sacrilegious purposes incurs excommunication.

§2. A persons who sells a sacred object recieves a harsh penalty.

Can. 36. A person who commits perjury while asserting or promising something before ecclesiastical authority is to be punished with a just penalty.

Can. 37. A person who in a public show or speech, in published writing, or in other uses of the instruments of social communication utters blasphemy, gravely injurs good morals, expresses insults, or excites hatred or contempt against religion or the Church is to be punished with a just penality.

Can. 38. §1. The person who attacks a cleric shall recieve a just punishment.

§2. A cleric who does so shall recieve a suspension.

Can. 39. §1. The person who sells an ecclesiatical office is to recieve a harsh punishment.

§2. The person who recieves an ecclesiatical office through simony shall recieve a harsh punishement and be permanently dismissed from the clerical state.

Can. 40. A person who kidnaps, detains, multilates, or gravely wounds a person by force or fraud is to be punished according to the gravity of the delict.

Canon 41. §1 A person who is guilty of homocide is punished gravely.

§2. If he is a cleric, he is dismissed from the clerical state. The civil authorities are also notified