Code of Canon Law (1983) — Book II

²⁰⁵Those baptized are fully in the communion of the Catholic Church on this earth who are joined with Christ in its visible structure by the bonds of the profession of faith, the sacraments, and ecclesiastical governance.

²⁰⁷§1. By divine institution, there are among the Christian faithful in the Church sacred ministers who in law are also called clerics; the other members of the Christian faithful are called lay persons. §2. There are members of the Christian faithful from both these groups who, through the profession of the evangelical counsels by means of vows or other sacred bonds recognized and sanctioned by the Church, are consecrated to God in their own special way and contribute to the salvific mission of the Church; although their state does not belong to the hierarchical structure of the Church, it nevertheless belongs to its life and holiness. --- cic_lib2-cann208-329_en.html --- . THE CHRISTIAN FAITHFUL . THE OBLIGATIONS AND RIGHTS OF ALL THE CHRISTIAN FAITHFUL (Cann. 208 - 223) . THE OBLIGATIONS AND RIGHTS OF THE LAY CHRISTIAN FAITHFUL (Cann. 224 - 231) . SACRED MINISTERS OR CLERICS (Cann. 232 - 293) . THE FORMATION OF CLERICS . THE ENROLLMENT, OR INCARDINATION, OF CLERICS . THE OBLIGATIONS AND RIGHTS OF CLERICS . LOSS OF THE CLERICAL STATE . PERSONAL PRELATURES (Cann. 294 - 297) . ASSOCIATIONS OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITHFUL (Cann. 298 - 329) . COMMON NORMS . PUBLIC ASSOCIATIONS OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITHFUL . PRIVATE ASSOCIATIONS OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITHFUL . SPECIAL NORMS FOR ASSOCIATIONS OF THE LAITY . THE OBLIGATIONS AND RIGHTS OF ALL THE CHRISTIAN FAITHFUL (Cann. 208 - 223) . THE OBLIGATIONS AND RIGHTS OF THE LAY CHRISTIAN FAITHFUL (Cann. 224 - 231) . SACRED MINISTERS OR CLERICS (Cann. 232 - 293) . THE FORMATION OF CLERICS . THE ENROLLMENT, OR INCARDINATION, OF CLERICS . THE OBLIGATIONS AND RIGHTS OF CLERICS . LOSS OF THE CLERICAL STATE . THE FORMATION OF CLERICS . THE ENROLLMENT, OR INCARDINATION, OF CLERICS . THE OBLIGATIONS AND RIGHTS OF CLERICS . LOSS OF THE CLERICAL STATE . PERSONAL PRELATURES (Cann. 294 - 297) . ASSOCIATIONS OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITHFUL (Cann. 298 - 329) . COMMON NORMS . PUBLIC ASSOCIATIONS OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITHFUL . PRIVATE ASSOCIATIONS OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITHFUL . SPECIAL NORMS FOR ASSOCIATIONS OF THE LAITY . COMMON NORMS . PUBLIC ASSOCIATIONS OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITHFUL . PRIVATE ASSOCIATIONS OF THE CHRISTIAN FAITHFUL . SPECIAL NORMS FOR ASSOCIATIONS OF THE LAITY . THE CHRISTIAN FAITHFUL . THE OBLIGATIONS AND RIGHTS OF ALL THE CHRISTIAN FAITHFUL (Cann. 208 - 223)

²⁰⁹§1. The Christian faithful, even in their own manner of acting, are always obliged to maintain communion with the Church. §2. With great diligence they are to fulfill the duties which they owe to the universal Church and the particular church to which they belong according to the prescripts of the law.

²¹¹All the Christian faithful have the duty and right to work so that the divine message of salvation more and more reaches all people in every age and in every land.

²¹³The Christian faithful have the right to receive assistance from the sacred pastors out of the spiritual goods of the Church, especially the word of God and the sacraments.

²¹⁵The Christian faithful are at liberty freely to found and direct associations for purposes of charity or piety or for the promotion of the Christian vocation in the world and to hold meetings for the common pursuit of these purposes.

²¹⁷Since they are called by baptism to lead a life in keeping with the teaching of the gospel, the Christian faithful have the right to a Christian education by which they are to be instructed properly to strive for the maturity of the human person and at the same time to know and live the mystery of salvation.

²¹⁹All the Christian faithful have the right to be free from any kind of coercion in choosing a state of life.

²²¹§1. The Christian faithful can legitimately vindicate and defend the rights which they possess in the Church in the competent ecclesiastical forum according to the norm of law. §2. If they are summoned to a trial by a competent authority, the Christian faithful also have the right to be judged according to the prescripts of the law applied with equity. §3. The Christian faithful have the right not to be punished with canonical penalties except according to the norm of law.

²⁶⁷§1. For a cleric already incardinated to be incardinated validly in another particular church, he must obtain from the diocesan bishop a letter of excardination signed by the same bishop and a letter of incardination from the diocesan bishop of the particular church in which he desires to be incardinated signed by that bishop. §2. Excardination thus granted does not take effect unless incardination in another particular church has been obtained.

²⁶⁹A diocesan bishop is not to allow the incardination of a cleric unless: 1/ the necessity or advantage of his own particular church demands it, and without prejudice to the prescripts of the law concerning the decent support of clerics; 2/ he knows by a lawful document that excardination has been granted, and has also obtained from the excardinating bishop, under secrecy if need be, appropriate testimonials concerning the cleric’s life, behavior and studies; 3/ the cleric has declared in writing to the same diocesan bishop that he wishes to be dedicated to the service of the new particular church according to the norm of law.

²⁷¹§1. Apart from the case of true necessity of his own particular church, a diocesan bishop is not to deny permission to clerics, whom he knows are prepared and considers suitable and who request it, to move to regions laboring under a grave lack of clergy where they will exercise the sacred ministry. He is also to make provision that the rights and duties of these clerics are determined through a written agreement with the diocesan bishop of the place they request. §2. A diocesan bishop can grant permission for his clerics to move to another particular church for a predetermined time, which can even be renewed several times. Nevertheless, this is to be done so that these clerics remain incardinated in their own particular church and, when they return to it, possess all the rights which they would have had if they had been dedicated to the sacred ministry there. §3. For a just cause the diocesan bishop can recall a cleric who has moved legitimately to another particular church while remaining incardinated in his own church provided that the agreements entered into with the other bishop and natural equity are observed; the diocesan bishop of the other particular church, after having observed these same conditions and for a just cause, likewise can deny the same cleric permission for further residence in his territory.

CHAPTER III. THE OBLIGATIONS AND RIGHTS OF CLERICS

²⁷³Clerics are bound by a special obligation to show reverence and obedience to the Supreme Pontiff and their own ordinary.

²⁷⁵§1. Since clerics all work for the same purpose, namely, the building up of the Body of Christ, they are to be united among themselves by a bond of brotherhood and prayer and are to strive for cooperation among themselves according to the prescripts of particular law. §2. Clerics are to acknowledge and promote the mission which the laity, each for his or her part, exercise in the Church and in the world.

²⁷⁷§1. Clerics are obliged to observe perfect and perpetual continence for the sake of the kingdom of heaven and therefore are bound to celibacy which is a special gift of God by which sacred ministers can adhere more easily to Christ with an undivided heart and are able to dedicate themselves more freely to the service of God and humanity. §2. Clerics are to behave with due prudence towards persons whose company can endanger their obligation to observe continence or give rise to scandal among the faithful. §3. The diocesan bishop is competent to establish more specific norms concerning this matter and to pass judgment in particular cases concerning the observance of this obligation.

²⁷⁹§1. Even after ordination to the priesthood, clerics are to pursue sacred studies and are to strive after that solid doctrine founded in sacred scripture, handed on by their predecessors, and commonly accepted by the Church, as set out especially in the documents of councils and of the Roman Pontiffs. They are to avoid profane novelties and pseudo-science. §2. According to the prescripts of particular law, priests are to attend pastoral lectures held after priestly ordination and, at times established by the same law, are also to attend other lectures, theological meetings, and conferences which offer them the opportunity to acquire a fuller knowledge of the sacred sciences and pastoral methods. §3. They are also to acquire knowledge of other sciences, especially of those which are connected with the sacred sciences, particularly insofar as such knowledge contributes to the exercise of pastoral ministry.

²⁸¹§1. Since clerics dedicate themselves to ecclesiastical ministry, they deserve remuneration which is consistent with their condition, taking into account the nature of their function and the conditions of places and times, and by which they can provide for the necessities of their life as well as for the equitable payment of those whose services they need. §2. Provision must also be made so that they possess that social assistance which provides for their needs suitably if they suffer from illness, incapacity, or old age. §3. Married deacons who devote themselves completely to ecclesiastical ministry deserve remuneration by which they are able to provide for the support of themselves and their families. Those who receive remuneration by reason of a civil profession which they exercise or have exercised, however, are to take care of the needs of themselves and their families from the income derived from it.

²⁸³§1. Even if clerics do not have a residential office, they nevertheless are not to be absent from their diocese for a notable period of time, to be determined by particular law, without at least the presumed permission of their proper ordinary. §2. They are entitled, however, to a fitting and sufficient time of vacation each year as determined by universal or particular law.

²⁸⁵§1. Clerics are to refrain completely from all those things which are unbecoming to their state, according to the prescripts of particular law. §2. Clerics are to avoid those things which, although not unbecoming, are nevertheless foreign to the clerical state. §3. Clerics are forbidden to assume public offices which entail a participation in the exercise of civil power. §4. Without the permission of their ordinary, they are not to take on the management of goods belonging to lay persons or secular offices which entail an obligation of rendering accounts. They are prohibited from giving surety even with their own goods without consultation with their proper ordinary. They also are to refrain from signing promissory notes, namely, those through which they assume an obligation to make payment on demand.

³³¹The bishop of the Roman Church, in whom continues the office given by the Lord uniquely to Peter, the first of the Apostles, and to be transmitted to his successors, is the head of the college of bishops, the Vicar of Christ, and the pastor of the universal Church on earth. By virtue of his office he possesses supreme, full, immediate, and universal ordinary power in the Church, which he is always able to exercise freely.

³³³§1. By virtue of his office, the Roman Pontiff not only possesses power over the universal Church but also obtains the primacy of ordinary power over all particular churches and groups of them. Moreover, this primacy strengthens and protects the proper, ordinary, and immediate power which bishops possess in the particular churches entrusted to their care. §2. In fulfilling the office of supreme pastor of the Church, the Roman Pontiff is always joined in communion with the other bishops and with the universal Church. He nevertheless has the right, according to the needs of the Church, to determine the manner, whether personal or collegial, of exercising this office. §3. No appeal or recourse is permitted against a sentence or decree of the Roman Pontiff.

³³⁵When the Roman See is vacant or entirely impeded, nothing is to be altered in the governance of the universal Church; the special laws issued for these circumstances, however, are to be observed. . THE COLLEGE OF BISHOPS

³³⁷§1. The college of bishops exercises power over the universal Church in a solemn manner in an ecumenical council. §2. It exercises the same power through the united action of the bishops dispersed in the world, which the Roman Pontiff has publicly declared or freely accepted as such so that it becomes a true collegial act. §3. It is for the Roman Pontiff, according to the needs of the Church, to select and promote the ways by which the college of bishops is to exercise its function collegially regarding the universal Church.

³³⁹§1. All the bishops and only the bishops who are members of the college of bishops have the right and duty to take . §2. Moreover, some others who are not bishops can be called to an ecumenical council by the supreme authority of the Church, to whom it belongs to determine their roles in the council.

³⁴¹§1. The decrees of an ecumenical council do not have obligatory force unless they have been approved by the Roman Pontiff together with the council fathers, confirmed by him, and promulgated at his order. §2. To have obligatory force, decrees which the college of bishops issues when it places a truly collegial action in another way initiated or freely accepted by the Roman Pontiff need the same confirmation and promulgation. . THE SYNOD OF BISHOPS

³⁴³It is for the synod of bishops to discuss the questions for consideration and express its wishes but not to resolve them or issue decrees about them unless in certain cases the Roman Pontiff has endowed it with deliberative power, in which case he ratifies the decisions of the synod.

³⁴⁵The synod of bishops can be assembled in a general session, that is, one which treats matters that directly pertain to the good of the universal Church; such a session is either ordinary or extraordinary. It can also be assembled in a special session, namely, one which considers affairs that directly pertain to a determinate region or regions.

³⁴⁷§1. When the Roman Pontiff concludes a session of the synod of bishops, the function entrusted in it to the bishops and other members ceases. §2. If the Apostolic See becomes vacant after a synod is convoked or during its celebration, the session of the synod and the function entrusted to its members are suspended by the law itself until the new Pontiff has decided to dissolve or continue the session.

CHAPTER III. THE CARDINALS OF THE HOLY ROMAN CHURCH

³⁴⁹The cardinals of the Holy Roman Church constitute a special college which provides for the election of the Roman Pontiff according to the norm of special law. The cardinals assist the Roman Pontiff either collegially when they are convoked to deal with questions of major importance, or individually when they help the Roman Pontiff through the various offices they perform, especially in the daily care of the universal Church.

³⁹⁵§1. Even if a diocesan bishop has a coadjutor or auxiliary, he is bound by the law of personal residence in the diocese. §2. Apart from ad limina visits, councils, synods of bishops, conferences of bishops which he must attend, or some other duty legitimately entrusted to him, he can be absent from his diocese for a reasonable cause but not beyond a month, whether continuous or interrupted, and provided that he makes provision so that the diocese will suffer no detriment from his absence. §3. He is not to be absent from the diocese on Christmas, during Holy Week, and on Easter, Pentecost, and the Feast of the Body and Blood of Christ, except for a grave and urgent cause. §4. If a bishop has been illegitimately absent from the diocese for more than six months, the metropolitan is to inform the Apostolic See of his absence; if it concerns the metropolitan, the senior suffragan is to do so.

³⁹⁷§1. Persons, Catholic institutions, and sacred things and places, which are located within the area of the diocese, are subject to ordinary episcopal visitation. §2. A bishop can visit members of religious institutes of pontifical right and their houses only in the cases expressed in law.

³⁹⁹§1. Every Five years a diocesan bishop is bound to make a report to the Supreme Pontiff on the state of the diocese entrusted to him, according to the form and time determined by the Apostolic See. §2. If the year determined for submitting a report falls entirely or in part within the first two years of his governance of a diocese, a bishop can refrain from making and submitting his report on this one occasion.

⁴⁰¹§1. A diocesan bishop who has completed the seventy-fifth year of age is requested to present his resignation from office to the Supreme Pontiff, who will make provision after he has examined all the circumstances. §2. A diocesan bishop who has become less able to fulfill his office because of ill health or some other grave cause is earnestly requested to present his resignation from office.

⁴⁰³§1. When the pastoral needs of a diocese suggest it, one or more auxiliary bishops are to be appointed at the request of the diocesan bishop. An auxiliary bishop does not possess the right of succession. §2. In more serious circumstances, even of a personal nature, an auxiliary bishop provided with special faculties can be given to a diocesan bishop. §3. If it appears more opportune to the Holy See, it can appoint ex officio a coadjutor bishop who also has special faculties. A coadjutor bishop possesses the right of succession.

⁴⁰⁵§1. A coadjutor bishop and an auxiliary bishop have the obligations and rights which are determined in the prescripts of the following canons and are defined in the letter of their appointment. §2. A coadjutor bishop and the auxiliary bishop mentioned in can. 403, §2 assist the diocesan bishop in the entire governance of the diocese and take his place if he is absent or impeded.

⁴⁰⁷§1. In order to foster the present and future good of the diocese as much as possible, a diocesan bishop, a coadjutor, and the auxiliary mentioned in can. 403, §2 are to consult one another on matters of major importance. §2. In considering cases of major importance, especially of a pastoral character, a diocesan bishop is to wish to consult the auxiliary bishops before others. §3. Since a coadjutor bishop and an auxiliary bishop are called to share in the solicitude of the diocesan bishop, they are to exercise their duties in such a way that they proceed in harmony with him in effort and intention.

⁴⁰⁹§1. When the episcopal see is vacant, the coadjutor bishop immediately becomes the bishop of the diocese for which he had been appointed provided that he has legitimately taken possession of it. §2. When the episcopal see is vacant and unless competent authority has established otherwise, an auxiliary bishop preserves all and only those powers and faculties which he possessed as vicar general or episcopal vicar while the see was filled until a new bishop has taken possession of the see. If he has not been designated to the function of diocesan administrator, he is to exercise this same power, conferred by law, under the authority of the diocesan administrator who presides over the governance of the diocese.

⁴¹¹The prescripts of cann. 401 and 402, §2 on resignation from office apply to a coadjutor and auxiliary bishop. . THE IMPEDED SEE AND THE VACANT SEE . THE IMPEDED SEE

⁴¹³§1. When a see is impeded, the coadjutor bishop, if there is one, has governance of the diocese unless the Holy See has provided otherwise. If there is none or he is impeded, governance passes to an auxiliary bishop, the vicar general, an episcopal vicar, or another priest, following the order of persons established in the list which the diocesan bishop is to draw up as soon as possible after taking possession of the diocese. The list, which must be communicated to the metropolitan, is to be renewed at least every three years and preserved in secret by the chancellor. §2. If there is no coadjutor bishop or he is impeded and the list mentioned in §1 is not available, it is for the college of consultors to select a priest to govern the diocese. §3. The one who has assumed the governance of a diocese according to the norm of §§1 or 2 is to advise the Holy See as soon as possible of the impeded see and the function he has assumed.

⁴⁵⁹§1. Relations between conferences of bishops, especially neighboring ones, are to be fostered in order to promote and protect the greater good. §2. Whenever conferences enter into actions or programs having an international character, however, the Apostolic See must be heard. --- cic_lib2-cann460-572_en.html --- . THE HIERARCHICAL CONSTITUTION OF THE CHURCH . PARTICULAR CHURCHES AND THEIR GROUPINGS . THE INTERNAL ORDERING OF PARTICULAR CHURCHES (Cann. 460 - 572) . THE DIOCESAN SYNOD . THE DIOCESAN CURIA . VICARS GENERAL AND EPISCOPAL VICARS . THE CHANCELLOR, OTHER NOTARIES, AND THE ARCHIVES . THE FINANCE COUNCIL AND THE FINANCE OFFICER . THE PRESBYTERAL COUNCIL AND THE COLLEGE OF CONSULTORS . CHAPTERS OF CANONS . THE PASTORAL COUNCIL . PARISHES, PASTORS, AND PAROCHIAL VICARS . VICARS FORANE . RECTORS OF CHURCHES AND CHAPLAINS . RECTORS OF CHURCHES . CHAPLAINS . THE HIERARCHICAL CONSTITUTION OF THE CHURCH . PARTICULAR CHURCHES AND THEIR GROUPINGS . PARTICULAR CHURCHES AND THEIR GROUPINGS . THE INTERNAL ORDERING OF PARTICULAR CHURCHES (Cann. 460 - 572) . THE DIOCESAN SYNOD . THE DIOCESAN CURIA . VICARS GENERAL AND EPISCOPAL VICARS . THE CHANCELLOR, OTHER NOTARIES, AND THE ARCHIVES . THE FINANCE COUNCIL AND THE FINANCE OFFICER . THE PRESBYTERAL COUNCIL AND THE COLLEGE OF CONSULTORS . CHAPTERS OF CANONS . THE PASTORAL COUNCIL . PARISHES, PASTORS, AND PAROCHIAL VICARS . VICARS FORANE . RECTORS OF CHURCHES AND CHAPLAINS . RECTORS OF CHURCHES . CHAPLAINS . THE INTERNAL ORDERING OF PARTICULAR CHURCHES (Cann. 460 - 572) . THE DIOCESAN SYNOD . THE DIOCESAN CURIA . VICARS GENERAL AND EPISCOPAL VICARS . THE CHANCELLOR, OTHER NOTARIES, AND THE ARCHIVES . THE FINANCE COUNCIL AND THE FINANCE OFFICER . THE PRESBYTERAL COUNCIL AND THE COLLEGE OF CONSULTORS . CHAPTERS OF CANONS . THE PASTORAL COUNCIL . PARISHES, PASTORS, AND PAROCHIAL VICARS . VICARS FORANE . RECTORS OF CHURCHES AND CHAPLAINS . RECTORS OF CHURCHES . CHAPLAINS . THE DIOCESAN SYNOD . THE DIOCESAN CURIA . VICARS GENERAL AND EPISCOPAL VICARS . THE CHANCELLOR, OTHER NOTARIES, AND THE ARCHIVES . THE FINANCE COUNCIL AND THE FINANCE OFFICER . VICARS GENERAL AND EPISCOPAL VICARS . THE CHANCELLOR, OTHER NOTARIES, AND THE ARCHIVES . THE FINANCE COUNCIL AND THE FINANCE OFFICER . THE PRESBYTERAL COUNCIL AND THE COLLEGE OF CONSULTORS . CHAPTERS OF CANONS . THE PASTORAL COUNCIL . PARISHES, PASTORS, AND PAROCHIAL VICARS . VICARS FORANE . RECTORS OF CHURCHES AND CHAPLAINS . RECTORS OF CHURCHES . CHAPLAINS . RECTORS OF CHURCHES . CHAPLAINS . THE HIERARCHICAL CONSTITUTION OF THE CHURCH . PARTICULAR CHURCHES AND THEIR GROUPINGS . THE INTERNAL ORDERING OF PARTICULAR CHURCHES (Cann. 460 - 572) . THE DIOCESAN SYNOD

⁴⁶¹§1. A diocesan synod is to be celebrated in individual particular churches when circumstances suggest it in the judgment of the diocesan bishop after he has heard the presbyteral council. §2. If a bishop has the care of several dioceses or has the care of one as the proper bishop but of another as administrator, he can convoke one diocesan synod for all the dioceses entrusted to him.

⁴⁶³§1. The following must be called to a diocesan synod as members of the synod and are obliged to participate in it: 1/ a coadjutor bishop and auxiliary bishops; 2/ vicars general, episcopal vicars, and the judicial vicar; 3/ canons of the cathedral church; 4/ members of the presbyteral council; 5/ lay members of the Christian faithful, even members of institutes of consecrated life, chosen by the pastoral council in a manner and number to be determined by the diocesan bishop or, where this council does not exist, in a manner determined by the diocesan bishop; 6/ the rector of the diocesan major seminary; 7/ vicars forane; 8/ at least one presbyter from each vicariate forane, chosen by all those who have the care of souls there; also another presbyter must be chosen who, if the first is impeded, is to take his place; 9/ some superiors of religious institutes and of societies of apostolic life which have a house in the diocese, chosen in a number and manner determined by the diocesan bishop. §2. The diocesan bishop can also call others to a diocesan synod as members of the synod; they can be clerics, members of institutes of consecrated life, or lay members of the Christian faithful. §3. If the diocesan bishop has judged it opportune, he can invite as observers to the diocesan synod other ministers or members of Churches or ecclesial communities which are not in full communion with the Catholic Church.

⁴⁶⁵All proposed questions are subject to the free discussion of the members during sessions of the synod.

⁴⁶⁷The diocesan bishop is to communicate the texts of the synodal declarations and decrees to the metropolitan and the conference of bishops.

CHAPTER II. THE DIOCESAN CURIA

⁴⁶⁹The diocesan curia consists of those institutions and persons which assist the bishop in the governance of the whole diocese, especially in guiding pastoral action, in caring for the administration of the diocese, and in exercising judicial power.

⁴⁷¹All those who are admitted to offices in the curia must: 1/ promise to fulfill their function faithfully according to the manner determined by law or by the bishop; 2/ observe secrecy within the limits and according to the manner determined by law or by the bishop.

⁴⁷³§1. A diocesan bishop must take care that all the affairs which belong to the administration of the whole diocese are duly coordinated and are ordered to attain more suitably the good of the portion of the people of God entrusted to him. §2. It is for the diocesan bishop himself to coordinate the pastoral action of the vicars general or episcopal vicars. Where it is expedient, a moderator of the curia can be appointed who must be a priest and who, under the authority of the bishop, is to coordinate those things which pertain to the treatment of administrative affairs and to take care that the other members of the curia properly fulfill the office entrusted to them. §3. Unless in the judgment of the bishop local circumstances suggest otherwise, the vicar general or if there are several, one of the vicars general, is to be appointed moderator of the curia. §4. Where the bishop has judged it expedient, he can establish an episcopal council, consisting of the vicars general and episcopal vicars, to foster pastoral action more suitably.

⁴⁷⁵§1. In each diocese the diocesan bishop must appoint a vicar general who is provided with ordinary power according to the norm of the following canons and who is to assist him in the governance of the whole diocese. §2. As a general rule, one vicar general is to be appointed unless the size of the diocese, the number of inhabitants, or other pastoral reasons suggest otherwise.

⁴⁷⁷§1. The diocesan bishop freely appoints a vicar general and an episcopal vicar and can freely remove them, without prejudice to the prescript of can. 406. An episcopal vicar who is not an auxiliary bishop is to be appointed only for a time to be determined in the act of appointment. §2. When a vicar general is absent or legitimately impeded, a diocesan bishop can appoint another to take his place; the same norm applies to an episcopal vicar.

⁵²³Without prejudice to the prescript of can. 682, §1, the provision of the office of pastor belongs to the diocesan bishop, and indeed by free conferral, unless someone has the right of presentation or election.

⁵²⁵When a see is vacant or impeded, it belongs to the diocesan administrator or another who governs the diocese temporarily: 1/ to install or confirm presbyters who have been legitimately presented or elected for a parish; 2/ to appoint pastors if the see has been vacant or impeded for a year.

⁵²⁷§1. The person who has been promoted to carry out the pastoral care of a parish obtains this care and is bound to exercise it from the moment of taking possession. §2. The local ordinary or a priest delegated by him places the pastor in possession; he is to observe the method accepted by particular law or legitimate custom. The same ordinary, however, can dispense from that method for a just cause; in this case, the notification of the dispensation to the parish replaces the taking of possession. §3. The local ordinary is to prescribe the time within which possession of a parish must be taken. When this has elapsed without action, he can declare the parish vacant unless there was a just impediment.

⁵²⁹§1. In order to fulfill his office diligently, a pastor is to strive to know the faithful entrusted to his care. Therefore he is to visit families, sharing especially in the cares, anxieties, and griefs of the faithful, strengthening them in the Lord, and prudently correcting them if they are failing in certain areas. With generous love he is to help the sick, particularly those close to death, by refreshing them solicitously with the sacraments and commending their souls to God; with particular diligence he is to seek out the poor, the afflicted, the lonely, those exiled from their country, and similarly those weighed down by special difficulties. He is to work so that spouses and parents are supported in fulfilling their proper duties and is to foster growth of Christian life in the family. §2. A pastor is to recognize and promote the proper part which the lay members of the Christian faithful have in the mission of the Church, by fostering their associations for the purposes of religion. He is to cooperate with his own bishop and the presbyterium of the diocese, also working so that the faithful have concern for parochial communion, consider themselves members of the diocese and of the universal Church, and participate in and sustain efforts to promote this same communion.

⁵³¹Although another person has performed a certain parochial function, that person is to put the offerings received from the Christian faithful on that occasion in the parochial account, unless in the case of voluntary openings the contrary intention of the donor is certain. The diocesan bishop, after having heard the presbyteral council, is competent to establish prescripts which provide for the allocation of these openings and the remuneration of clerics fulfilling the same function.

⁵³³§1. A pastor is obliged to reside in a rectory near the church. Nevertheless, in particular cases and if there is a just cause, the local ordinary can permit him to reside elsewhere, especially in a house shared by several presbyters, provided that the performance of parochial functions is properly and suitably provided for. §2. Unless there is a grave reason to the contrary, a pastor is permitted to be absent from the parish each year for vacation for at most one continuous or interrupted month; those days which the pastor spends once a year in spiritual retreat are not computed in the time of vacation. In order to be absent from the parish for more than a week, however, a pastor is bound to inform the local ordinary. §3. It is for the diocesan bishop to establish norms which see to it that during the absence of the pastor, a priest endowed with the necessary faculties provides for the care of the parish.

⁵³⁵§1. Each parish is to have parochial registers, that is, those of baptisms, marriages, deaths, and others as prescribed by the conference of bishops or the diocesan bishop. The pastor is to see to it that these registers are accurately inscribed and carefully preserved. n §2. In libro baptizatorum adnotentur quoque adscriptio Ecclesiae sui iuris vel ad aliam transitus, necnon confirmatio, item quae pertinent ad statum canonicum christifidelium, ratione matrimonii, salvo quidem praescripto can. 1133, ratione adoptionis, ratione suscepti ordinis sacri, necnon professionis perpetuae in instituto religioso emissae; eaeque adnotationes in documento accepti baptismi semper referantur. §3. Each parish is to have its own seal. Documents regarding the canonical status of the Christian faithful and all acts which can have juridic importance are to be signed by the pastor or his delegate and sealed with the parochial seal. §4. In each parish there is to be a storage area, or archive, in which the parochial registers are protected along with letters of bishops and other documents which are to be preserved for reason of necessity or advantage. The pastor is to take care that all of these things, which are to be inspected by the diocesan bishop or his delegate at the time of visitation or at some other opportune time, do not come into the hands of outsiders. §5. Older parochial registers are also to be carefully protected according to the prescripts of particular law.

⁵³⁷In each parish there is to be a finance council which is governed, in addition to universal law, by norms issued by the diocesan bishop and in which the Christian faithful, selected according to these same norms, are to assist the pastor in the administration of the goods of the parish, without prejudice to the prescript of can. 532.

⁵³⁹When a parish becomes vacant or when a pastor is prevented from exercising his pastoral function in the parish by reason of captivity, exile or banishment, incapacity or ill health, or some other cause, the diocesan bishop is to designate as soon as possible a parochial administrator, that is, a priest who takes the place of the pastor according to the norm of can. 540.

⁵⁴¹§1. When a parish becomes vacant or a pastor has been impeded from exercising his pastoral function and before the appointment of a parochial administrator, the parochial vicar is to assume the governance of the parish temporarily. If there are several vicars, the one who is senior in appointment or, if there are no vicars, a pastor determined by particular law assumes this governance. §2. The one who has assumed the governance of a parish according to the norm of §1 is immediately to inform the local ordinary about the vacancy of the parish.

⁵⁸⁷§1. To protect more faithfully the proper vocation and identity of each institute, the fundamental code or constitutions of every institute must contain, besides those things which are to be observed as stated in can. 578, fundamental norms regarding governance of the institute, the discipline of members, incorporation and formation of members, and the proper object of the sacred bonds. §2. A code of this type is approved by competent authority of the Church and can be changed only with its consent. §3. In this code spiritual and juridic elements are to be joined together suitably; nevertheless, norms are not to be multiplied without necessity. §4. Other norms established by competent authority of an institute are to be collected suitably in other codes and, moreover, can be reviewed appropriately and adapted according to the needs of places and times.

⁵⁸⁹An institute of consecrated life is said to be of pontifical right if the Apostolic See has erected it or approved it through a formal decree. It is said to be of diocesan right, however, if it has been erected by a diocesan bishop but has not obtained a decree of approval from the Apostolic See.

⁵⁹¹In order to provide better for the good of institutes and the needs of the apostolate, the Supreme Pontiff, by reason of his primacy in the universal Church and with a view to common advantage, can exempt institutes of consecrated life from the governance of local ordinaries and subject them to himself alone or to another ecclesiastical authority.

⁵⁹³Without prejudice to the prescript of ⇒ can. 586, institutes of pontifical right are immediately and exclusively subject to the power of the Apostolic See in regards to internal governance and discipline.

⁵⁹⁵§1. It is for the bishop of the principal seat to approve the constitutions and confirm changes legitimately introduced into them, without prejudice to those things which the Apostolic See has taken in hand, and also to treat affairs of greater importance affecting the whole institute which exceed the power of internal authority, after he has consulted the other diocesan bishops, however, if the institute has spread to several dioceses. §2. A diocesan bishop can grant dispensations from the constitutions in particular cases.

⁵⁹⁷§1. Any Catholic endowed with a right intention who has the qualities required by universal and proper law and who is not prevented by any impediment can be admitted into an institute of consecrated life. §2. No one can be admitted without suitable preparation.

⁵⁹⁹The evangelical counsel of chastity assumed for the sake of the kingdom of heaven, which is a sign of the world to come and a source of more abundant fruitfulness in an undivided heart, entails the obligation of perfect continence in celibacy.

⁶⁰¹The evangelical counsel of obedience, undertaken in a spirit of faith and love in the following of Christ obedient unto death, requires the submission of the will to legitimate superiors, who stand in the place of God, when they command according to the proper constitutions.

⁶⁰³§1. In addition to institutes of consecrated life, the Church recognizes the eremitic or anchoritic life by which the Christian faithful devote their life to the praise of God and the salvation of the world through a stricter withdrawal from the world, the silence of solitude, and assiduous prayer and penance. §2. A hermit is recognized by law as one dedicated to God in consecrated life if he or she publicly professes in the hands of the diocesan bishop the three evangelical counsels, confirmed by vow or other sacred bond, and observes a proper program of living under his direction.

⁶⁰⁵The approval of new forms of consecrated life is reserved only to the Apostolic See. Diocesan bishops, however, are to strive to discern new gifts of consecrated life granted to the Church by the Holy Spirit and are to assist promoters so that these can express their proposals as well as possible and protect them by appropriate statutes; the general norms contained in this section are especially to be utilized.

⁶⁵¹§1. The director of novices is to be a member of the institute who has professed perpetual vows and has been legitimately designated. §2. If necessary, the director can be given assistants who are subject to the director in regard to the supervision of the novices and the program of formation. §3. Members who are carefully prepared and who, not impeded by other duties, can carry out this function fruitfully and in a stable manner are to be placed in charge of the formation of novices.

⁶⁵³§1. A novice can freely leave an institute; moreover, the competent authority of the institute can dismiss a novice. §2. At the end of the novitiate, if judged suitable, a novice is to be admitted to temporary profession; otherwise the novice is to be dismissed. If there is doubt about the suitability of a novice, the major superior can extend the time of probation according to the norm of proper law, but not beyond six months. . RELIGIOUS PROFESSION

⁶⁵⁵Temporary profession is to be made for a period defined in proper law; it is not to be less than three years nor longer than six.

⁶⁵⁷§1. When the period for which profession was made has elapsed, a religious who freely petitions and is judged suitable is to be admitted to renewal of profession or to perpetual profession; otherwise, the religious is to depart. §2. If it seems opportune, however, the competent superior can extend the period of temporary profession according to proper law, but in such a way that the total period in which the member is bound by temporary vows does not exceed nine years. §3. Perpetual profession can be anticipated for a just cause, but not by more than three months.

⁶⁵⁹§1. In individual institutes the formation of all the members is to be continued after first profession so that they lead the proper life of the institute more fully and carry out its mission more suitably. §2. Therefore, proper law must define the program of this formation and its duration, attentive to the needs of the Church and the conditions of people and times, insofar as the purpose and character of the institute require it. §3. Universal law and the program of studies proper to the institute govern the formation of members who are preparing to receive holy orders.

⁶⁶¹Through their entire life, religious are to continue diligently their spiritual, doctrinal, and practical formation. Superiors, moreover, are to provide them with the resources and time for this. . THE OBLIGATIONS AND RIGHTS OF INSTITUTES AND THEIR MEMBERS

⁶⁶³§1. The first and foremost duty of all religious is to be the contemplation of divine things and assiduous union with God in prayer. §2. Members are to make every effort to participate in the eucharistic sacrifice daily, to receive the most sacred Body of Christ, and to adore the Lord himself present in the sacrament. §3. They are to devote themselves to the reading of sacred scripture and mental prayer, to celebrate worthily the liturgy of the hours according to the prescripts of proper law, without prejudice to the obligation for clerics mentioned in can. 276, §2, n. 3, and to perform other exercises of piety. §4. With special veneration, they are to honor the Virgin Mother of God, the example and protector of all consecrated life, also through the marian rosary. §5. They are to observe faithfully an annual period of sacred retreat.

⁶⁶⁵§1. Observing common life, religious are to live in their own religious house and are not to be absent from it except with the permission of their superior. If it concerns a lengthy absence from the house, however, the major superior, with the consent of the council and for a just cause, can permit a member to live outside a house of the institute, but not for more than a year, except for the purpose of caring for ill health, of studies, or of exercising an apostolate in the name of the institute. §2. A member who is absent from a religious house illegitimately with the intention of withdrawing from the power of the superiors is to be sought out solicitously by them and is to be helped to return to and persevere in his or her vocation.

⁶⁶⁷§1. In all houses, cloister adapted to the character and mission of the institute is to be observed according to the determinations of proper law, with some part of a religious house always reserved to the members alone. §2. A stricter discipline of cloister must be observed in monasteries ordered to contemplative life. §3. Monasteries of nuns which are ordered entirely to contemplative life must observe papal cloister, that is, cloister according to the norms given by the Apostolic See. Other monasteries of nuns are to observe a cloister adapted to their proper character and defined in the constitutions. §4. For a just cause, a diocesan bishop has the faculty of entering the cloister of monasteries of nuns which are in his diocese and, for a grave cause and with the consent of the superior, of permitting others to be admitted to the cloister and the nuns to leave it for a truly necessary period of time.

⁶⁶⁹§1. Religious are to wear the habit of the institute, made according to the norm of proper law, as a sign of their consecration and as a witness of poverty. §2. Clerical religious of an institute which does not have a proper habit are to wear clerical dress according to the norm of can. 284.

⁷¹⁵§1. Clerical members incardinated in a diocese are subject to the diocesan bishop, without prejudice to those things which regard consecrated life in their own institute. §2. Those who are incardinated in an institute according to the norm of can. 266, §3, however, are subject to the bishop like religious if they are appointed to the proper works of the institute or to the governance of the institute.

⁷¹⁷§1. The constitutions are to prescribe the proper manner of governance; they are to define the time during which the moderators hold their office and the manner by which they are designated. §2. No one is to be designated as supreme moderator who is not incorporated definitively. §3. Those who have been placed in charge of the governance of an institute are to take care that its unity of spirit is preserved and that the active participation of the members is promoted.

⁷¹⁹§1. For members to respond faithfully to their vocation and for their apostolic action to proceed from their union with Christ, they are to devote themselves diligently to prayer, to give themselves in a Fitting way to the reading of sacred scripture, to observe an annual period of spiritual retreat, and to perform other spiritual exercises according to proper law. §2. The celebration of the Eucharist, daily if possible, is to be the source and strength of their whole consecrated life. §3. They are to approach freely the sacrament of penance which they are to receive frequently. §4. They are to obtain freely necessary direction of conscience and to seek counsel of this kind even from the moderators, if they wish.

⁷²¹§1. A person is admitted to initial probation invalidly: 1/ who has not yet attained the age of majority; 2/ who is bound currently by a sacred bond in some institute of consecrated life or is incorporated in a society of apostolic life; 3/ a spouse, while the marriage continues to exist. §2. The constitutions can establish other impediments to admission even for validity or can attach conditions. §3. Moreover, to be received, the person must have the maturity necessary to lead rightly the proper life of the institute.

⁷²³§1. When the period of initial probation has elapsed, a candidate who is judged suitable is to assume the three evangelical counsels strengthened by a sacred bond or is to depart from the institute. §2. This first incorporation is to be temporary according to the norm of the constitutions; it is not to be less than five years. §3. When the period of this incorporation has elapsed, the member who is judged suitable is to be admitted to perpetual incorporation or to definitive incorporation, that is, with temporary bonds that are always to be renewed. §4. Definitive incorporation is equivalent to perpetual incorporation with regard to the specific juridic effects established in the constitutions.

⁷²⁵An institute can associate to itself by some bond determined in the constitutions other members of the Christian faithful who are to strive for evangelical perfection according to the spirit of the institute and are to participate in its mission.

⁷²⁷§1. After having considered the matter seriously before the Lord, a perpetually incorporated member who wishes to leave the institute is to seek an indult of departure from the Apostolic See through the supreme moderator if the institute is of pontifical right; otherwise the member may also seek it from the diocesan bishop, as it is defined in the constitutions. §2. If it concerns a cleric incardinated in the institute, the prescript of can. 693 is to be observed.

⁷²⁹n Dismissal of a member of the institute proceeds pursuant to cann. 694 §1, 1 and 2; and 695. The constitutions may also define other causes for dismissal, provided that they be commensurately serious, external, attributable and juridically proven, and that the procedure established in cann. 697-700 also be observed. The provisions of can. 701 are applicable to the dismissed member.

PART III. INSTITUTES OF CONSECRATED LIFE AND SOCIETIES OF APOSTOLIC LIFE SECTION II. SOCIETIES OF APOSTOLIC LIFE (Cann. 731 - 746)

⁷³¹§1. Societies of apostolic life resemble institutes of consecrated life; their members, without religious vows, pursue the apostolic purpose proper to the society and, leading a life in common as brothers or sisters according to their proper manner of life, strive for the perfection of charity through the observance of the constitutions. §2. Among these are societies in which members assume the evangelical counsels by some bond defined in the constitutions.

⁷³³§1. The competent authority of the society erects a house and establishes a local community with the previous written consent of the diocesan bishop, who must also be consulted concerning its suppression. §2. Consent to erect a house entails the right to have at least an oratory in which the Most Holy Eucharist is to be celebrated and reserved.