Sacramental concelebration of the Eucharist was one of the most significant liturgical restorations called for by the Second Vatican Council in Sacrosanctum concilium. The liturgical and juridical significance of concelebration has developed since the restoration of this ritual and the promulgation of the 1983 CIC. The recent controversies surrounding the apostolic letter Traditionis custodes of Pope Francis and its accompanying documents have brought new awareness to concelebration as a sign of ecclesial communion. The A. examines the development of canon 902, the purpose of concelebration, whether concelebration should be understood as an essential sign of ecclesial communion, a priest's right to concelebrate (or not), and the challenges surrounding concelebration in the Church today, among these, whether priests who exclusively celebrate Mass according to the 1962 Missale Romanum can be compelled to concelebrate with the bishop at the Chrism Mass.
Among the legislative changes enacted following the promulgation of Mitis Iudex Dominus Iesus, the notion of the "evidently merely dilatory appeal" was introduced. Nearly ten years after those reforms to marriage nullity processes, a number of questions concerning interpretation and application of this element of the procedural institute outlined in canon 1680 2 remain for tribunal practitioners. This article examines a number of those questions, both as considered in commentaries and in contemporary praxis of the Tribunal of the Roman Rota. The findings seek to provide tribunal ministers with reliable approaches in their own practice of the law.
Over the past few decades, the Church has become increasingly aware of the scope and effects of the violation of infinite human dignity of victims of sexual abuse in the Church. Popes John Paul II, Benedict XVI, and especially Francis have enacted measures to prevent the threat and trauma of sexual abuse; to offer healing to victims, their families, and their communities; and to be efficient and effective in removing offenders from ecclesial leadership and responsibility. This study begins with reflections on the infinite dignity of every human person. It then traces the development of the Church's response to the sexual abuse crisis during the past three pontificates. Finally, it proposes that the synodal Church work diligently to eliminate all forms of abuse in order to manifest more clearly infinite human dignity.
Juridic personality is a legal construct invented to give the necessary legal recognition and protection to the rights of aggregates of persons and things destined for various missions carried out in the name of the Church. Therefore, juridic persons are ecclesiastical legal entities with rights and obligations. To protect the rights and obligations of juridic entities that assist in protecting and promoting the mission of various curial institutions, Pope Francis, in 2022, created "instrumental juridic persons of the Roman Curia." This article offers a canonical reflection on these juridic persons, highlighting their connection to the Roman Curia and the Vatican City State and suggesting that it is a juridical model that could be replicated in particular Churches.
After recalling the nature of the canonical institution of the motu proprio, the author presents the use made of it by contemporary popes, from Leo XIII to Francis, in absolute numbers and in annual averages, which can be visualized in two tables. It can be seen that the average for Pope Francis is almost double the previous high. This is followed by a more specific study of Pope Francis' 73 motu proprio, grouped by subject, whose content is briefly summarized and whose distribution by year is shown in a third table.
