The Code of Canon Law, promulgated by the Sovereign Pontiff in 1983, provides the general framework for the entire legal activity of the Church, and its fifth book is dedicated to the temporal goods. Canons 1254 – 1310 supply the guidelines for ecclesiastical acquisition, custody, administration and alienation of goods, including cultural goods. Canon n. 22 permits, in some cases, the canonisation of civil law, and those canons which align ecclesiastical requirements regarding temporal goods with civil law 1274,§5; 1284,§2,2°-3°; 1286,1°; 1290; 1299,§2; 1500.
The Roman Curia is ruled according to the Apostolic Constitution Pastor Bonus (1988), which specifies the number, jurisdiction and composition of the different bodies within the Roman Curia.
For the Vatican City State, the Fundamental Law was issued in 2000, and became effective on 22 February 2001.
Comments are closed.