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Canon Law Books, Articles & Reviews, Speaking & Media, Etc.
Canon Law Books, Articles & Reviews, Speaking & Media, Etc.
January
1909: Inauguration of the Acta Apostolicae Sedis, successor to the Acta Sanctae
Sedis, as official journal of the Holy See.
1949: The abrogation of the final part of 1917 CIC 1099 § 2 makes canonical
form binding on all Catholics, without distinction, until the advent of the 1983
Code. AAS 40 (1948): 305-36; CLD 3: 463-464.
5 1929: Pope Pius XI invites Eastern rite bishops to express their opinions on the
proposal to codify Eastern canon law. AAS 21: 669.
1941: & Inauguration of the canonical journal The Jurist, dedicated to Gratian,
published by Canon Law Department of The Catholic University of America,
Washington, DC.
1950: Pope Pius XII, in ap. con. Solicitudinem Nostram, promulgates first
Eastern codification on procedural law. AAS 42: 5-120.
9 1989: Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith publishes the new text for
Professio Fidei and the Iusiurandum fidelitatis in suscipiendo officio nomine
Ecclesiae exercendo. AAS 81: 104-106.
12 1726: A decree of the Congregation of the Council confirms that the Roman
Pontiff can and does dispense from non-consummated marriages. CIC Font 5:
753-754.
13
14
Cdl.
Ciriaci
16
17
18 1459: Pope Pius II, in cons. Exsecrabilis, firmly rejects the alleged superiority of
a Council over a Pope.
20
21
2002: U Jean Beyer, sj, professor of canon law at the Gregorianum. {Apr 26}
Note: For several centuries, this was the feast day of St. D. Prümmer,
Raymond of Peñafort. op
1585: Pope Gregory XIII issues Populis, one of three papal pronouncements
on matrimonial law for converts directly incorporated in the 1917 Code. 1917
CIC Doc. VIII.
Pope Bl John
XXIII
1983: Pope John Paul II, in ap. con. Sacrae disciplinae leges, promulgates the
1983 Code of Canon Law. (Photo). Also, in ap. con. Divinus perfectionis
Magister, he promulgates current law on beatification and canonization cases,
per 1983 CIC 1403. AAS 75: 349; CLD 10: 266-273.
Pius IV
27
28 1981: The Instituto Martin de Azpilcueta at the University of Navarre
begins work on what will become the Codigo de derecho
canonico...anotada (1983), using the 1980 Schema.
1983: New norms for the Roman Rota, made necessary by the 1983
Code, take effect.
29
30 1376: William of Horboch, later author of, among other things, the Novae (an
important collection of Rotal decisions) begins his five years of service on the
Roman Rota. DDC 5: 1076-1077 {May 30, Aug 22}
1678/9: The London Gazette reports that, after more than a century of being
out of print, a new edition of Lynwoode's Provinciale has been released.
1466: U Arnoldus Westphal, professor of canon and civil law, later bishop, at
about age 67.
1950: & Cdl Alphonse Stickler, sdb, dedicates his modern classic,
Historia Iuris Canonici Latini: Historia Fontium.
Cdl Stickler
February
2 1947: Pope Pius XII, in ap. con. Provida Mater, approves the
establishment of secular institutes. AAS 39: 114-124; CLD 3: 135-146.
DDC 5: 1451-1461.
1567: Pope St. Pius V, in con. Etsi dominici, voids all grants of
indulgences attached to alms-giving, a rule in effect to this day. CIC Font
1: 209-211
Bouscaren
12
13 528: Emperor Justinian directs John of Cappadocia to begin the
compilation of the (first, but soon lost version of) Codex Justiniani.
14
15
17 1457: U John of Anania, attorney who, after the death of his wife, was
ordained and taught canon law, specializing in Book V of the Decretals,
at Bologna.
18
19
20
1949: Pope Pius XII, in Crebrae allatae, codifies Eastern canon law on
marriage. AAS 41: 89-117.
1996: John Paul II, in ap. con., issues laws governing the election of his
successor. Universi Dominic gregis (22 February 1996). Cf. 1983 CIC
332, 349. Click here for Dr. Peters' overview of Universi. Click here for a list
current eligible papal electors.
25
26
27
28
29
March
15
16
17
19 1904: Pope St. Pius X issues m. p. Arduum sane munus announcing his
intention to codify western canon law.
22
25 1877: & Rev. Sebastian Smith receives the imprimatur for the first
edition of his Elements of Ecclesiastical Law, in 3 vols, the first, and
never surpassed, study of late decretal law done in and for the United
States.
27
28 1963: Pope Bl John XXIII establishes Pontifical Commission for the
Revision of the Code of Canon Law. Bp James Violardo becomes
Secretary for a short time. Comm I: 5, 35.
J. Serédi,
osb
30
April
2 1961: & After many delays, Gommarus Michiels, ofm cap, brings out
the first volume of his revised masterpiece on penal law, De Delictis et
Poenis, eventually in 3 vols.
1947: Holy See confirms the right to the Spanish Rota to continue its
long service in third instance. AAS 39 (1947) 155-163.
1892: & Pope Leo XIII congratulates Pietro Gasparri on the publication
of the first (of many) edition of his masterpiece, De Matrimonio, in 2 vols.
12
1744: Pope Benedict XIV, in cons. Pastor bonus and In apostolica, gives
the Sacred Penitentiary its modern form. {Apr 8}
14
15
16
18
19
1986: John Paul II, in ap. con. Spirituali militum curae, issues special
law on military chaplains. Cf 1983 CIC 569.
24
27
29
May
1515: Pope Leo X, at the Fifth Lateran Council, issues Inter sollicitudines,
first universal legislation on the censorship of books. CIC Font 1: 115-
116.
8 1963: Holy Office, by decree Piam, lifts ban on elective cremation. AAS
56: 822-823; CLD 6: 666-668.
10
11
12
14
16 1911: Monastic prison for recalcitrant religious, already long out of use,
official suppressed. DDC 7: 586.
17
20
21
22
23 1904: Pope St. Pius X invests the Acta Sanctae Sedis with official
character. {Jan 1, Sep 28}
1951: John Abbo & Jermone Hannan receive an imprimatur for their
Sacred Canons, in 2 vols, a highly respected American commentary on
Pio-Benedictine law.
28 1998: Pope John Paul in m.p. Ad tuendam Fidem, adds text to 1983 CIC
750 and 1371, and to CCEO 598 and 1436.
29 1954: Canonization of Pope St. Pius X, prime mover behind the 1917
Code of Canon Law. AAS 49: 306. {Mar 19}
31
June
1 1537: Pope Paul III issues con. Altitudo, one of three papal
pronouncements on matrimonial law for converts directly incorporated
into the 1917 Code. 1917 CIC Doc. VI. {Jan 25, Aug 2}
7 1230: Pope Gregory IX makes the first known reference to "third orders",
here, Franciscan. {Aug 17}
1945: Pope Pius XII reorganizes the course of studies at the Roman
Rota.
D. Prümmer,
op
10 1972: Pope Paul VI establishes the Pontifical Commission for the
Revision of Oriental Canon Law.
11
12 1957: Pope Pius XII, in Cleri sanctitati, codifies Eastern canon law on
persons. AAS 49: 433-603.
13
14 1559: The Holy Office mitigates severe sanctions attached to the very
first Index of Forbidden Books, published earlier the same year.
15
16
1704: Henry Prescott of Trinity College, Dublin, at home sick in his bed,
records that he consoles himself by reading Durandus' De
Consecracione.
19
20
1932: The Spanish Rota is suppressed due to the Spanish Civil War. Cf.
AAS 39 (1947) 156.
23
26 1905: & Pope St. Pius X congratulates Franciscus Wernz, sj, on the
publication of his Ius Decretalium, in 7 vols, the last great commentary
on decretal law.
27
28 1988: John Paul II, in ap. con. Pastor Bonus, issues current norms on
the reorganization of the Roman Curia. Cf 1983 CIC 360-361. {Jan 22}
1908: Pope St. Pius X, in ap. con. Sapienti consilio, reestablishes the
Roman Rota (and the Apostolic Signatura, etc.), suppressed since the
Italian Revolution some 40 years earlier. ASS 41 (1908) 425-461.
30 1741: Pope Benedict XIV, in Quanta cura, forbids, inter alia, trafficking in
Mass stipends. CIC Font. 1: 682-683.
July
1580: Pope Gregory XIII, in cons. Cum pro munere, becomes the first to
use the descriptive term "Corpus Iuris Canonici".
2003: U Msgr John Barry, JCD, co-founder, Canon Law Society of great
Britain and Ireland, first editor of Canon Law Abstracts, at age 85.
1921: & Albert Blat, op, releases the first volume of his Commentarium
in textus Codicis iuris canonici, ultimately in 5 vols.
8 1241: Pope Gregory IX, in Cum, sicut ex, declares beer to be invalid
matter for Baptism. CIC Font I: 30.
9 1988: U James O’Connor, sj, long-time editor of Canon Law Digest, age
77.
11 1533: Pope Clement VII condemns the attempted marriage of Henry VIII
to Anne Boleyn and orders a return to Catherine of Aragon under pain of
excommunication. {Jun 18}
12
A. Veermersch, sj
1952: The Roman Rota, coram Felici, Versalien., finds for nullity of
marriage based on the testimony of a single witness. SRRD 44 (1952)
445-451.
19
21 1542: Pope Paul II, in Licet ab initio, establishes the Roman Inquisition,
forerunner of the Holy Office and eventually the Congregation for the
Doctrine of the Faith.
23
25
26
27
31
August
2 1571: Pope St. Pius V issues con. Romani Pontifices, one of three papal
pronouncements on matrimonial law for converts directly incorporated
into the 1917 Code. 1917 CIC Doc VII. (Jan 25, Jun 1}
4 1903: On the very evening of his election, Pope St. Pius X, determines to
codify canon law, but says nothing for the time being.
1917: Cdl Bisletti directs that canon law students be taught to analyze
the 1917 Code synthetically and analytically using the Code itself as the
primary text. AAS 9: 439; (English trans here).
11 1859: After lengthy debate in the presence of the pope, the Holy Office
“defers” on the question of the necessity of conversion to the Catholic
faith for the operation of the Pauline Privilege.
12
13
14
15
18
1910: In its decree on the removal of pastors, Maxima cura, the Sacred
Congregation of the Consistory states that “The welfare of the people is
the supreme law.” AAS 2: 636. Cf 1983 CIC 1752.
1914: U Pope St. Pius X, prime mover behind the 1917 Code. AAS 6:
421-456. {Mar 19}
22 1313: U John the Monk, Franciscan cardinal and canonist. DDC 6: 112-
113. {Feb 16}
1966: & Xavier Ochoa dedicates the first volume of his Leges
Ecclesiae, eventually in 6 vols.
24 1607: Pope Paul V decrees that civil cases involving religious are
outside the competence of diocesan bishops.
25
27
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30
September
9 1253: Pope Innocent III, in Ad expiendos, send the third collection of his
decrees to the University of Paris.
10
11
12
14
15 1374: Gilles de Bellemère enters the service of the Roman Rota and
begins to collect more than 700 of its decisions. DDC 2: 296-297.
16
1949: & Herbert Jone dedicates the first volume of his three-volume
Commentarium in Codicem Iuris Canonici.
19
20
24
25
27
28 1908: Pope St. Pius X, in Promulgandi, formalizes the use of the Acta
Sanctae Sedis and then the Acta Apostolicae Sedis as the vehicle for
promulgating ecclesiastical law. ASS 41: 619-620 & AAS 1 (1909) 5-6.
{Jan 1, May 23}
29
30
October
1 1942: Pope Pius XII delivers his classic allocution to the Roman Rota on
moral certainty in marriages cases. AAS 34: 338-343 (Italian); CLD 3:
605-611.
10
11
13
14
15 1911: ' Meletius Wojnar. {Jul 18}
16 1756: Pope Benedict XIV, in enc. Ex omnibus, decrees that only those
who publicly and notoriously reject "Unigentius" should be denied the
sacraments. CIC Font 2: 534-538.
18 1991: Pope John Paul II, in ap. con. Sacri Canones, promulgates the
Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches.
19 1432: Fire destroys the 600 volume personal canonical library of John
of Imola, along with his personal papers and all his worldly goods. {Mar
13}
23
24 1934: & Raoul Naz releases the first volume of the Dictionnaire de
Droit Canonique, ultimately in 6 vols, most influential canonical
encyclopedia of the 20th century.
26
27
28
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31
November
1744: Pope Benedict XIV, in cons. Firmandis, decides that bishops may
remove religious pastors in their diocese without consent of religious
superiors. CIC Font 1: 855-862.
10
11 1563: The Council of Trent approves the decree Tametsi which would
eventually result in the nearly universal requirement of canonical form
for marriage.
1963: In its first formal session, the Revision Commission decides to put
off most work until the close of the Second Vatican Council. Comm I: 36.
15 1599: U Boetius Epo, married lay canon and civil lawyer, teacher of
many subjects, including pontifical law, for nearly 40 years, at age 70.
DDC 5: 384-386.
1966: The Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith re-confirms the
abrogation of the Index of Forbidden Books and the absolution of any
who labored under censures incurred in its light. AAS 58: 1186; CLD 6:
817-818. {Jun 14}
Tribonian, by Putnam
(from US capitol)
Cdl Gasparri
19
20 1965: Revision Commission opens formal work on what will become the
1983 Code with a solemn dedication ceremony in the Vatican. Comm I:
38-42.
1817: Pope Pius VII partially codifies the procedural civil laws of the
Papal States.
24
26
27 1095: Pope Urban II address bishops and troops camped at Clermont
and issues the first plenary indulgence (in the modern sense) to all who
join the First Crusade.
28
29
30
December
6 1973: Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith issues revised norms on
Petrine Privilege cases. CLD 8: 1177-1184.
9 1917: The Code Commission decides that it will not accept interpretation
inquires from private individuals, a rule that remains in effect to this day.
AAS 10 (1918) 77; CLD 1: 57.
10 1520: Martin Luther casts his condemnatory bull, Exsurge Domini, and
a copy of the Corpus Iuris Canonici, into the flames.
11
12
13 1545: After numerous delays, Pope Paul III opens the Council of Trent,
described by Cdl Gasparri “the greatest source of legislation on faith and
morals in the history of the Church.” 1917 CIC Preface.
14
17
18
19
20 1585: Pope Sixtus V, in cons. Romanus Pontifiex, standardizes the
requirement for bishops, etc, to make quinquennial visits to Rome. CIC
Font 1: 277-281.
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