In 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 ...

of 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 ...

, ''jus remonstrandi'' (

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 ...

for "right of objection") is the legal right to protest a

Papal bull A papal bull is a type of public decree, letters patent, or charter issued by the pope of the Catholic Church. It is named after the leaden Seal (emblem), seal (''bulla (seal), bulla'') traditionally appended to authenticate it. History Papal ...

edict An edict is a decree or announcement of a law, often associated with monarchies, but it can be under any official authority. Synonyms include "dictum" and "pronouncement". ''Edict'' derives from the Latin edictum. Notable edicts * Telepinu ...

, or

law Law is a set of rules that are created and are enforceable by social or governmental institutions to regulate behavior, with its precise definition a matter of longstanding debate. It has been variously described as a science and as the ar ...

.Torbet, Ronald. "Authority and Obedience in the Church Today— II", ''New Blackfriars'', Volume 50, Issue 592, pages 626–32, September 1969. The right is usually only provided to a

Catholic bishop In the Catholic Church, a bishop is an Holy orders in the Catholic Church, ordained Minister (Catholic Church), minister who holds the fullness of the Sacraments of the Catholic Church, sacrament of holy orders and is responsible for teachin ...

or other high ecclesiastical official.Guth, Hans-Jurgen. "''Ius Remonstrandi'': A Bishop's Right in Law to Protest". ''Revue de droit canonique'' 2002, Volume 52, Number 1, pp. 153-65, specifically Notes 231, 234, 235, and 238.Müller, Hubert. "How the Local Church Lives and Affirms Its Catholicity", ''The Jurist'', Volume 52, 340 (1992).

Contemporary exercise

In 1994, Belgian politician and canonist Rik Torfs appealed to

bishops A bishop is an ordained member of the clergy who is entrusted with a position of Episcopal polity, authority and oversight in a religious institution. In Christianity, bishops are normally responsible for the governance and administration of di ...

to exercise their ''jus remonstrandi'' to protest the

Papal 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 ...

letter '' Ordinatio sacerdotalis'', which ended the debate on ordination of women to the Catholic priesthood.Torfs, Rik. "A Healthy Rivalry: Human Rights in the Church" in ''Louvain Theological and Pastoral Monographs'', Volume 20. Peeters Publishers, 1992. .

References

Catholic Church legal terminology Latin legal terminology {{RC-canon-law-term-stub