By Fr. Kramer
Shortly after my ordination in 2022, the Des Moines Serra Club invited me to speak about the exhilarating topic of Canon Law. After a forty-five minute talk, many people expressed that they never realized that canon law was more than just handling marriage issues. If canon law is not simply about marriage, then what is it about?
Canon law is simply the law of the Church, but the better question to start with is why does the Church need laws in the first place? The Church is simply applying the ancient maxim in Roman Law, ubi societas, ibi ius (where there is society, there is law). As a society, the Church has to be able to function properly whether that be the administration of sacraments, the appointment of pastors, or even the punishing of those guilty of crimes in the Church. The most important laws in the Church are not merely arbitrary norms established by the Pope, but rather are an application of our beliefs. For example, those who have not received baptism are not able to receive any other sacrament. This law finds its origin in our understanding that through baptism we become members of Christ’s body, the Church, and as a result have access to all the other sacraments. There are certainly many laws which help us, as a Church, to put our faith into practice, there are also many laws which help the Church to function properly.
All these laws, both those grounded in our faith and those which are simply for the effective running of the Church are all directed towards a common end which is the supreme law of the Church, namely the salvation of souls.
Salus animarum suprema lex! (the supreme law is the salvation of souls).