The ''Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches'' (CCEC; , abbreviated CCEO) is the title of the 1990 work which is a codification of the common portions of the

canon law Canon law (from , , a 'straight measuring rod, ruler') is a set of ordinances and regulations made by ecclesiastical jurisdiction, ecclesiastical authority (church leadership) for the government of a Christian organization or church and its membe ...

for the 23

Eastern Catholic Churches The Eastern Catholic Churches or Oriental Catholic Churches, also known as the Eastern-Rite Catholic Churches, Eastern Rite Catholicism, or simply the Eastern Churches, are 23 Eastern Christian autonomous (''sui iuris'') particular churches of ...

in the

Catholic Church The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the List of Christian denominations by number of members, largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics Catholic Church by country, worldwid ...

. It is divided into 30 titles and has a total of 1546 canons. The code entered into force in 1991. The western

Latin Church The Latin Church () is the largest autonomous () particular church within the Catholic Church, whose members constitute the vast majority of the 1.3 billion Catholics. The Latin Church is one of 24 Catholic particular churches and liturgical ...

is governed by its own particular code, the 1983 ''Code of Canon Law''.

History

The 23 '' sui iuris'' Churches which collectively make up the

had been invited by the

Holy See The Holy See (, ; ), also called the See of Rome, the Petrine See or the Apostolic See, is the central governing body of the Catholic Church and Vatican City. It encompasses the office of the pope as the Bishops in the Catholic Church, bishop ...

to codify their own particular laws and submit them to the

pope The pope is the bishop of Rome and the Head of the Church#Catholic Church, visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the po ...

so that there may be a full, complete code of all religious law within Eastern Catholicism. Pope

John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

promulgated the ''Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches'' on 18 October 1990, by the document ''Sacri Canones''. The code

came into force In law, coming into force or entry into force (also called commencement) is the process by which legislation, regulations, treaties and other legal instruments come to have legal force and effect. The term is closely related to the date of this ...

on 1 October 1991.

Language

The official language of the

common to all the Eastern Catholic Churches (called "common law") is

Latin Latin ( or ) is a classical language belonging to the Italic languages, Italic branch of the Indo-European languages. Latin was originally spoken by the Latins (Italic tribe), Latins in Latium (now known as Lazio), the lower Tiber area aroun ...

. Although Latin is the language of the

and not of the

Eastern Churches Eastern Christianity comprises Christianity, Christian traditions and Christian denomination, church families that originally developed during Classical antiquity, classical and late antiquity in the Eastern Mediterranean region or locations fu ...

, 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, including Greek, Ukrainian, Arabic, Romanian, Malayalam, English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese, but no single one of these languages could be used as the language of the common law. Latin was chosen because it has a long history of legal and juridical tradition and was suitable for serving as the common text from which translations could be made.John D. Faris, "Codifications of Eastern Canon Law", in ''A Practical Commentary to the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches'', ed. John D. Faris & Jobe Abbass, OFM Conv., cxxvi.

Emendations

''Ad Tuendam Fidem''

In 1998,

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

issued the ''

motu proprio In law, (Latin for 'on his own impulse') describes an official act taken without a formal request from another party. Some jurisdictions use the term for the same concept. In Catholic canon law, it refers to a document issued by the pope on h ...

'' , which amended two canons (750 and 1371) of the 1983 ''Code of Canon Law'' and two canons (598 and 1436) of the ''Code 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 the Magisterium of the Church, and which also establish related canonical sanctions".

''Mitis et Misericors Iesus''

On 15 August 2015,

Pope Francis Pope Francis (born Jorge Mario Bergoglio; 17 December 1936 – 21 April 2025) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 13 March 2013 until Death and funeral of Pope Francis, his death in 2025. He was the fi ...

issued the motu proprio ''Mitis et Misericors Iesus'' which amended canons 1357 to 1377 of the CCEO. It reformed the procedures for matrimonial nullity trials and instituted a briefer process.

''Competentias quasdam decernere''

The ''motu proprio'' ''Competentias quasdam decernere'' issued 15 February 2022 changed canons 489, 496, 499, 501, 552. 546, 1052, and 1054.

''Vocare peccatores''

On 5 April 2023, Pope Francis released the apostolic letter, issued ''motu proprio'', ''Vocare peccatores''. It was signed 20 March 2023, and

on 29 June 2023. 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.

''Iam pridem''

On 17 April 2023, Pope Francis released the apostolic letter, issued ''motu 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 their

Synods A synod () is a council of a Christian denomination, usually convened to decide an issue of doctrine, administration or application. The word ''synod'' comes from the Ancient Greek () ; the term is analogous with the Latin word . Originally, ...

. ''Iam pridem'' states the new legislation does not concern " Patriarchs, Major Archbishops, Eparchial Bishops and Exarchs" 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. It changes canons 66 § 1, as well as canons 102, 149 and 183.

Division

The text of the CCEO is divided into 31 sections, 30 titles and a section of preliminary canons.

Preliminary canons

The six preliminary canons 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" and therefore the liturgical 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 the

with nations and political societies. Therefore, they still have their force, notwithstanding any prescriptions of the CCEO to the contrary.

Churches ''sui iuris'' and rites

A church ''sui 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 term ''sui 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 the

Bishop of Rome The pope is the bishop of Rome and the visible head of the worldwide Catholic Church. He is also known as the supreme pontiff, Roman pontiff, or sovereign pontiff. From the 8th century until 1870, the pope was the sovereign or head of sta ...

Notes

References

Bibliography

* Faris, John D., & Jobe Abbass, OFM Conv., eds. ''A Practical Commentary to the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches'', 2 vols. Montréal: Librairie Wilson & Lafleur, 2019.

External links

Codex Canonum Ecclesiarum Orientalium
Latin ''editio typica'' of the ''Code''
"Code of Canons of Eastern Churches"
English translation
Text of ''Sacri Canones''
issued by Pope John Paul II at the promulgation of the ''Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches'' {{DEFAULTSORT:Code Of Canons Of The Eastern Churches * Eastern Catholicism Eastern Catholic canon law E *