WOMAN UNLAWFUL TO BE MARRIED UNDER CHRISTIANITY

PERPETUAL VOWS

Religious vows are the public vows made by the members of religious communities pertaining
to their conduct, practices, and views.

In the Catholic Church, the vows of members of religious orders and congregations are regulated
by canons 654-658 of the Code of Canon Law. These are public vows, meaning vows accepted
by a superior in the name of the Church, and they are usually got two durations: temporary and,
after a few years, final vows permanent or perpetual.depending on the order, temporary vows
may be renewed a number of times before permission to take final vows is given. There are
exceptions: the Jesuits first vows are perpetual, for instance, and the Sisters of Charity take only
temporary but renewable vows.

There are two kind of religious simple vows and solemn vows. The highest level of commitment
is exemplified by those who have taken their solemn, perpetual vows. There once were
significant technical differences between them in canon law; but these differences were
suppressed by the current Code of Canon Law in 1983, although the nominal distinction is
maintained. Only a limited number of religious congregations may invite their members to solemn
vows, most religious congregations are only authorized to take simple vows. Even in
congregations with solemn vows, some members with perpetual vows may have taken them
simply rather than solemnly.
A perpetual vow can be superseded by the Pope, when he decides that a man under perpetual
vows should become a Bishop of the Church. In these cases, the ties to the order the new
Bishop had, are dissolved as if the Bishop had never been a member; hence, such a person as,
e.g., Pope Francis has had no formal ties to his old order for years. However, if the Bishop was a
member in good standing, he will be regarded, informally, as "one of us", and he will always be
welcome in any of the order's houses.