Edward Neal Peters (born 1957) is an American

Catholic 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 ...

canonist 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 ...

and serves as a

referendary Referendary is the English form of a number of administrative positions, of various rank, in chanceries and other official organizations in Europe. Pre-modern history The office of ' (plural: ', from the Latin ', "I inform") existed at the Byza ...

of the Apostolic Signatura (an advisor/consultant to 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 ...

's top tribunal). In 2023, he is professor of

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 ...

at the Sacred Heart Major Seminary of the

Archdiocese of Detroit The Archdiocese of Detroit () is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or archdiocese, of the Catholic Church covering the south-east portion of Michigan in the United States. The archdiocese consists counties of Lapeer County, Michigan, Lap ...

.Vatican Information Service
accessed June 10, 2013

Early life and education

Peters was born in 1957 and raised in

St. Louis St. Louis ( , sometimes referred to as St. Louis City, Saint Louis or STL) is an independent city in the U.S. state of Missouri. It lies near the confluence of the Mississippi and the Missouri rivers. In 2020, the city proper had a populatio ...

Missouri Missouri (''see #Etymology and pronunciation, pronunciation'') is a U.S. state, state in the Midwestern United States, Midwestern region of the United States. Ranking List of U.S. states and territories by area, 21st in land area, it border ...

, where he attended the Chaminade College Preparatory School from 1970 to 1975. He attended

Saint Louis University Saint Louis University (SLU) is a private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit research university in St. Louis, Missouri, United States. Founded in 1818 by Louis William Valentine DuBourg, it is the oldest university west of the Missi ...

, majoring in political science, graduating in 1979.Profile
canonlaw.info; accessed May 11, 2014. He earned his

Juris Doctor A Juris Doctor, Doctor of Jurisprudence, or Doctor of Law (JD) is a graduate-entry professional degree that primarily prepares individuals to practice law. In the United States and the Philippines, it is the only qualifying law degree. Other j ...

degree from University of Missouri-Columbia School of Law in 1982, during the third year of which he was a teaching assistant in the Legal Research and Writing Program for Tate Hall. After graduation, Peters was admitted to the Missouri Bar Association.

Professional career

In 1988, Peters earned his Licentiate of Canon Law degree from the

Catholic University of America The Catholic University of America (CUA) is a private Catholic research university in Washington, D.C., United States. It is one of two pontifical universities of the Catholic Church in the United States – the only one that is not primarily a ...

School of Canon Law and was named Quasten Fellow for doctoral studies there, completing doctoral course work in 1990, and defending his doctoral dissertation, ''Penal Procedural Law in the

1983 Code of Canon Law The 1983 ''Code of Canon Law'' (abbreviated 1983 CIC from its Latin title ''Codex Iuris Canonici''), also called the Johanno-Pauline Code, is the "fundamental body of Ecclesiastical Law, ecclesiastical laws for the Latin Church". It is the sec ...

'', in August 1991. Over the next twelve years, Peters served as director of the Office for Canonical Affairs, vice-chancellor and chancellor,

Defender of the Bond A defender of the bond ( or ''defensor matrimonii'') is a Catholic Church official whose duty is to defend the marriage bond in the procedure prescribed for the hearing of matrimonial causes which involve the validity or nullity of a marriage a ...

, and collegial judge for diocesan and appellate tribunals for the dioceses of

Duluth Duluth ( ) is a Port, port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County, Minnesota, St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for cargo shipping. The population ...

and

San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, it is the List of United States cities by population, eighth-most populous city in t ...

. From May 2001, Peters taught at the (Graduate) Institute for Pastoral Theology in

Ann Arbor Ann Arbor is a city in Washtenaw County, Michigan, United States, and its county seat. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851, making it the List of municipalities in Michigan, fifth-most populous cit ...

Michigan Michigan ( ) is a peninsular U.S. state, state in the Great Lakes region, Great Lakes region of the Upper Midwest, Upper Midwestern United States. It shares water and land boundaries with Minnesota to the northwest, Wisconsin to the west, ...

. In 2005, he was appointed to the Cardinal Szoka Chair of Canon Law at Sacred Heart Major Seminary in

Detroit Detroit ( , ) is the List of municipalities in Michigan, most populous city in the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated on the bank of the Detroit River across from Windsor, Ontario. It had a population of 639,111 at the 2020 United State ...

. In 2010, he was named a referendary of the Supreme Tribunal of the Apostolic Signatura by

Pope Benedict XVI Pope BenedictXVI (born Joseph Alois Ratzinger; 16 April 1927 – 31 December 2022) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 19 April 2005 until his resignation on 28 February 2013. Benedict's election as p ...

, a consultant, becoming the first layman appointed to that post since the re-establishment of the Signatura early in the 20th century. In 2012, the Vatican named him as an expert consultant to the Synod of Bishops on the New Evangelization.Sacred Heart Major Seminary website, staff bio page
/ref>

Works

*1988: ''Home Schooling & the New Code of Canon Law'' (Brownson studies) *1992: ''Penal Procedural Law in the 1983 Code of Canon Law'' *1997: ''100 Answers to Your Questions on Annulments'' (a Basilica Press "Modern Apologetics" Book) *2000: ''Tabulae congruentiae inter Codicem iuris canonici et versiones anteriores canonum'' *2001: ''The 1917 or Pio-Benedictine Code of Canon Law: in English Translation with Extensive Scholarly Apparatus'' *2004: ''Annulments and the Catholic Church'' *2005: ''Incrementa in progressu 1983 Codicis iuris canonici'' *2006: ''Excommunication and the Catholic Church'' *2008: ''A Modern Guide to Indulgences'' *2017: ''The 1917 or Pio-Benedictine Code of Canon Law: in English Translation with Extensive Scholarly Apparatus''

Personal life

Peters is married to Angela and they have six children. They enjoy chess, astronomy and classic cinema.

References

External links

*SHMS.edu
"Dr. Edward Peters Biography"
*CanonLaw.info (personal website)
In the Light of the Law
(personal blog) {{DEFAULTSORT:Peters, Edward N. 1957 births Living people 20th-century American non-fiction writers 21st-century American non-fiction writers American male bloggers American bloggers American male non-fiction writers American Roman Catholic writers Canon law jurists Catholic University of America alumni Catholics from Missouri Date of birth missing (living people) Lawyers from St. Louis Sacred Heart Major Seminary faculty Saint Louis University alumni University of Missouri alumni Writers from St. Louis Catholic University of America School of Canon Law alumni Chaminade College Preparatory School (Missouri) alumni 20th-century American male writers