TheCode of Canons of the Eastern Churches (CCEC;Latin:Codex Canonum Ecclesiarum Orientalium,[1] abbreviatedCCEO) is the title of the 1990 work which is acodification of the common portions of thecanon law for the 23Eastern Catholic Churches in theCatholic Church. It is divided into 30 titles and has a total of 1546canons.[2] The codeentered into force in 1991.
The westernLatin Church is governed by its own particular code, the1983Code of Canon Law.
The 23sui iuris Churches which collectively make up theEastern Catholic Churches had been invited by theHoly See tocodify their own particular laws and submit them to thepope so that there may be a full, complete code of all religious law within Eastern Catholicism. PopeJohn Paul II promulgated theCode of Canons of the Eastern Churches on 18 October 1990, by the documentSacri Canones.[3] The codecame into force on 1 October 1991.[4]
The official language of thecanon law common to all the Eastern Catholic Churches (called "common law"[a]) isLatin. Although Latin is the language of theLatin Church and not of theEastern Churches, Latin was chosen as the language of the common law because there is no common language in use among all the Eastern Catholic Churches. The members of these churches use a diversity of languages, includingGreek,Ukrainian,Arabic,Romanian,Malayalam,English,French,Spanish, andPortuguese, but no single one of these languages could be used as the language of the common law. Latin was chosen because it hasa long history of legal and juridical tradition and was suitable for serving as the common text from which translations could be made.[5]
In 1998,Pope John Paul II issued themotu proprioAd Tuendam Fidem, which amended twocanons (750 and 1371) of the1983Code of Canon Law and two canons (598 and 1436) of theCode of Canons of the Eastern Churches, so as to add "new norms which expressly impose the obligation of upholding truths proposed in a definitive way by theMagisterium of the Church, and which also establish related canonical sanctions".[6]
On 15 August 2015,Pope Francis issued the motu proprioMitis et Misericors Iesus which amended canons 1357 to 1377 of the CCEO.[7] It reformed the procedures for matrimonial nullity trials and instituted a briefer process.[8]
Themotu proprioCompetentias quasdam decernere issued 15 February 2022 changed canons 489, 496, 499, 501, 552. 546, 1052, and 1054.[9][10]
On 5 April 2023, Pope Francis released the apostolic letter, issuedmotu proprio,Vocare peccatores. It was signed 20 March 2023, andcame into force on 29 June 2023.[11][12]
It changes 23 canons: canons 1402, 1406, 1407, 1409, 1410, 1414, 1416, 1424, 1429, 1430, 1436, 1442, 1443, 1446, 1449, 1453, 1456, 1459, 1463, 1464, 1466, 1467, and 1152.[12]
On 17 April 2023, Pope Francis released the apostolic letter, issuedmotu proprio,Iam pridem. It had been signed on 16 April 2023. The new legislation made it so that Eastern Catholics who are at the age of 80 or more cannot take part in votings of theirSynods.Iam pridem states the new legislation does not concern "Patriarchs,Major Archbishops,Eparchial Bishops andExarchs" who are currently in office "despite them having reached the age of eighty". The new legislation is to enter into force one month after it is published.[13][14]
It changes canons 66 § 1, as well as canons 102, 149 and 183.[13]
The text of the CCEO is divided into 31 sections, 30 titles and a section of preliminarycanons.
The six preliminarycanons deal with scope and continuity, what is affected by the CCEO and how prior legislation and customs shall be handled.
Can. 1 The CCEO regards solely the Eastern Catholic Churches unless otherwise mentioned.
Can. 2 The CCEO is to be assessed according to the Ancient Laws of the Eastern Churches.
Can. 3 The CCEO does not "for the most part legislate on liturgical matters"[15] and therefore theliturgical books are to be observed unless contrary to the canons of the CCEO.
Can. 4. The CCEO neither degrades or abrogates treaties/pacts entered into by theHoly See with nations and political societies. Therefore, they still have their force, notwithstanding any prescriptions of the CCEO to the contrary.
Achurchsui iuris is "a community of the Christian faithful, which is joined together by a hierarchy according to the norm of law and which is expressly or tacitly recognized as sui iuris by the supreme authority of the Church" (CCEO, can. 27). The termsui iuris is an innovation of the CCEO, and denotes the relative autonomy of the Eastern Catholic Churches. This canonical term, pregnant with many juridical nuances, indicates the God-given mission of the Eastern Catholic Churches to preserve their patrimonial autonomous nature. The autonomy of these churches is relative in the sense that they are under the authority of theBishop of Rome.[b][16]
Una Chiesa Orientale cattolica è una parte della Chiesa Universale che vive la fede in modo corrispondente ad una delle cinque grandi tradizioni orientali - Alessandrina, Antiochena, Costantinopolitina, Caldea, Armena- e che contiene o è almeno capace di contenere, come sue componenti minori, più comunità diocesane gerarchicamente riunite sotto la guida di un capo comune legittimamente eletto e in comunione con Roma, il quale con il proprio Sinodo costituisce la superiore istanza per tutti gli affari di carattere amministrativo, legislativo e giudiziario delle stesse Communità, nell'ambito del diritto comune a tutte le Chiese, determinato nei Canoni sanciti dai Concili Ecumenici o del Romano Pontefice, sempre preservando il diritto di quest'ultimo di intervenire nei singoli casi
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