The Second Vatican Council and postconciliar canon law

Vatican II

Fundamental to the development of canon law in the Roman Catholic Church is the Second Vatican Council’s (October 11, 1962–December 8, 1965) vision of the church as the people of God. In this connection the former concept of the church as societas perfecta (“perfect society”), founded by Christ through the mission of the Apostles and their successors, to which one belongs through subjection to the hierarchy, is replaced by a vision of the church as a community in which all possess the sacramental mission to live and proclaim the Gospel and all have a function in the service of the whole. The legislative and administrative functions remain related to the hierarchy, but this is much more expressly seen as a service for the religious life of the community. The idea of collegiality, resting on the recognition of the vocation received by each one from the Lord, works itself out in the relationship existing among the bishops and with the pope, as well as that of the bishops with the clergy and of the clergy with the laity. Related to this is a tendency to coresponsibility and the democratization of the church structure and also an autonomy for the laity to exercise individually and collectively the Christian mission proper to them—namely, to bring the spirit of Christ into the secular life of humankind. The right of clergy and laity to a share in the leadership of bishops and pope is recognized. The vision of the people of God as sacramentum mundi, a sign of redemption for the entire human race, gave a new insight into the relationships with the Protestant churches, the other world religions, and the nonreligious atheistic and humanistic movements. In this view, freedom of religion and philosophy became the most fundamental right of humanity.

Postconciliar legislation

From a schematically chronological survey of the principal conciliar and postconciliar legislation a new era apparently began for canon law. In 1960 the Secretariat for Promoting Christian Unity was established. Three years later various faculties, previously reserved to Rome, were given to the bishops, and in 1964 actions were undertaken for the reorganization of the papal commission for communications media, establishment of the Secretariat for Non-Christians, and lifting of the prohibition against cremation. Other legislative changes indicating a new era included several regulations that could not have been proposed with any possibility of their being accepted prior to Vatican II. In 1965, for example, preeminence in the Sacred College of Cardinals was given to Eastern patriarchs, after deacon and subdeacon and after the cardinals of the dioceses of the province of Rome, and in that same year the Secretariat for Non-Believers was established and the Holy Office (formerly the Inquisition) became the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, with emphasis on the positive fostering of theological research. In 1966 greatly reduced prescriptions for fasting and abstinence were adopted, the Index Librorum Prohibitorum (“Index of Forbidden Books”) became a moral guide instead of obligatory law, and in implementation of the conciliar decree on the episcopal office, the principle according to which ordinaries (e.g., bishops) dispense from universal laws only when this is allowed by law or special faculties, was replaced by the principle that ordinaries can always dispense unless it is explicitly reserved to Rome—and such reserved dispensations in question are indicated.

In addition to these changes, further canonical regulations were accepted. New regulations for mixed marriages were adopted in 1966. Norms were established for the implementation of the conciliar decrees on the office of bishops and priests; missionary activity; personal and material aid to needy churches; introduction of priests’ councils and pastoral councils of priests, religious (i.e., monks and nuns), and laity as advisory groups for bishops; international episcopal conferences and their mutual relationships; and other concerns. From 1967 to 1970, more changes were made in canonical regulations—e.g., in 1967, total revision of the norms for indulgences, establishment in the Roman Curia of the council of laymen and the study commission Justitia et Pax (“Justice and Peace”), new dispensation rights for Eastern bishops, directory for ecumenical cooperation with Christian churches, regulation of the office of the diaconate to include married men, and reorganization of the Roman Curia; and, in 1970, a mandate to the secretary of state to discuss with the world episcopacy the question of celibacy and ordination of married men in areas that need priests.

Characteristics of the new regulations included searching for structures to allow all members of the church to have a voice in ecclesiastical decision making and decentralization and autonomy of local churches. Regulations from Rome were kept to the general, with ample room for local adaptation. In addition, new regulations were to be enacted only after extensive and open inquiry and test by experience, with possibilities for experimentation. In place of regulations of religious behavior, canon law was becoming an ordering of the cooperation of all members of the Roman Catholic Church for the realization of its mission in the world.

Revision of the Code of Canon Law

On January 25, 1959, John XXIII announced the revision of the church’s code. On March 28, 1963, he set up a commission of cardinals for that purpose. On April 17, 1964, Paul VI named the first consultants. No publicity was given to the commission’s work, but the first episcopal synod (September 30–October 4, 1967) gave its approval to a document in which several principles for the revision were indicated (Principia quae Codicis Juris Canonici Recognitionem Dirigant [“Principles Which Guide the Recognition of the Code of Canon Law”]): the juridical character of the code ought to be preserved and not, as some wished, be limited to a rule for faith and morals; canon law for the area of each one’s personal conscience should be maintained, but conflicts between law for conscience and public law ought to be avoided, especially in marriage and penal law; as a means to stimulate pastoral work it was recommended that the laws be expressed in a spirit of love, fairness, and humanity; no binding prescriptions were to be given where admonition and counsel suffice; pastoral workers were to be given more discretionary powers, and greater freedom was to be given to bishops, especially in mission areas; laws were to be such that ample possibility is given for local adaptation, carrying through the principle of subsidiarity (i.e., that nothing should be committed to higher organs that can be accomplished by individuals or lesser or subordinate bodies), however, with care to retain the unity of law and jurisdiction; regulation of administrative jurisdiction and in principle public jurisdiction; distinction of legislative, administrative, and judicial functions; limitation of punishments, in particular limitation of punishments incurred automatically upon commission of the offense to very few and very serious crimes. On May 28, 1968, the commission approved a preliminary division of the new codex.

As the drafts of the various parts of the new code became available, a vast process of consultation was initiated. The departments of the Roman Curia, the local bishops and their regional conferences, the heads of religious institutes, and university faculties of canon law were invited to evaluate the schemata and offer suggestions for their improvement. This lengthy procedure was completed in 1982.