The Principles of Canon Law

Applying the Principles and Procedures of Civil Law to Canon Law: A Recipe for Frustration

Roughly out of every 300 Americans is a lawyer. The remaining 299 of us who are not lawyers still have good reasons to be interested in our legal system. Out of necessity, we have to conduct much of our day-to-day affairs without a lawyer standing beside us. Therefore we need to have at least some knowledge about the law so as to anticipate the possible legal effects of our actions and, for sur...

The Revision of Canon Law: Theological Implications

THE SECOND Vatican Council profoundly desired to bring the Church up to date (aggiornamento) and make it a more vital instrument of God's saving presence in a rapidly changing world. Crucial to the revitalization of the Church's mission was the reform of its institutional structures. Understandably, then, a significant aspect of postconciliar reform has been an unprecedented effort to reform ca...

Canon Law and Ecclesiology II

Chaplains in Canon Law and contemporary practice.

anon law defines a chaplain as “a priest to whom is entrusted in a stable manner the pastoral care, at least in part, of some community or special group of Christ’s faithful, to be exercised in accordance with universal and particular law” (Canon 564). The law establishes the chaplain as a canonical figure in the person of a priest who is accountable to the diocesan bishop. A deacon cannot be n...

Federal Tax Law Trumps Indian Canon

On November 27, 2001, the Supreme Court ruled in Chickasaw v. United States that Native American gaming (NAG) firms are subject to federal excise and occupational taxes. Prior to the decision, these firms had been exempt from all federal taxation. We hypothesize that Chickasaw improves the competitive position of publicly traded gaming firms and their suppliers by leveling the playing field for...