Canon Law

SSPX Continues their Dissent?

by Steve Ray on June 24, 2009

SSPX will proceed with ordinations despite Vatican warning http://www.catholicculture.org/news/headlines/index.cfm?storyid=3289 The head of the traditionalist Society of St. Pius X (SSPX) has indicated that the group will go forward with priestly ordinations despite a warning from the Vatican that the ceremonies would be “illegitimate.” Bishop Bernard Fellay told <i>Die Presse</i> that only the German bishops saw [...]

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Lay ministers of holy Communion should stop offering “blessings-in-lieu-of-Communion” at Mass Concerns about swine flu have prompted many parishes to discontinue the routine administration of the Precious Blood. Okay, fine.* But there’s another Communion rite practice that should also cease if only out of concerns for public health. This time, however, it’s a practice that [...]

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A response to Abp. Wuerl’s claims that canon law supports his inaction in regard to Nancy Pelosi Abp. Donald Wuerl of Washington DC continues to defend his refusal to withhold holy Communion from Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi in a number of ways, but his recent claims that canon law supports his inaction attract my [...]

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From my friend and Canon Lawyer Ed Peters: A canonical look at Saint Louis’ new archbishop Mixed feelings, of course: Bp. Robert Carlson will be sorely missed here in Michigan, but he’s a terrific choice for the Archdiocese of Saint Louis. While others can better describe his work with, say, the Institute for Priestly Formation, [...]

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Fr. Jenkins, Notre Dame & Canon Lawyers

by Steve Ray on April 9, 2009

From my friend and Canon Lawyer Ed Peters: Fr. Jenkins discovers canon law. Not. Notre Dame President Fr. John Jenkins continues to flail about for an adequate response (though short of resigning, there isn’t an adequate response) to his monumental gaff of bestowing an honorary doctor of laws degree on a president who has spent [...]

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De-baptizing?

by Steve Ray on April 3, 2009

From my friend and Canon Lawyer Ed Peters: Britons, we are told, have downloaded some 100,000 “de-baptism” forms, and another 1,500 blokes have paid some $ 5 each for a “de-baptism” parchment. Presumably, people sign these forms and what, we’re not sure, hang them up on the wall or something. A few thoughts on the [...]

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Pewsitter Petition to Bishops

by Steve Ray on March 13, 2009

The Pewsitter Petition on Canon 915 (from my friend and canon lawyer Ed Peters) Pewsitter.com has published an on-line petition by which Catholics may call upon bishops to withhold holy Communion from Catholic political figures who gravely disregard Church teaching on certain fundamental life issues. The petition invokes canon law in support of some of [...]

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Weigel and Peters: More on the Legionaires

by Steve Ray on February 8, 2009

In the Light of the Law looks at what kind of charism a criminal (or a sociopath) founder can bequeath: http://www.canonlaw.info/2009/02/maciel-was-criminal-or-sociopath-but.html And George Weigel calls for immediate Vatican intervention in the Legion: http://www.firstthings.com/onthesquare/?p=1311 No Immediate Vatican Involvement Click here My heart goes out to the many great men in the Legion who don’t deserve the [...]

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Rome’s Reconciliation Writing for Newsweek, EPPC Distinguished Senior Fellow George Weigel explores and explains Pope Benedict XVI’s lifting of excommunication of four Lefebvrist bishops, including Holocaust denier Richard Williamson: “the lifting of Williamson’s excommunication in no way constitutes a papal endorsement of Williamson’s lunatic view of history, or a retraction of John Paul II’s 1998 [...]

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Adopting Embryos?

by Steve Ray on February 4, 2009

Ed Peters, my friend and Canon Lawyer writes: I think that we should take our time exploring the moral issues surrounding “embryo adoption”. Read why here: http://www.canonlaw.info/2009/01/avoiding-rush-to-judgment-on-embryo.html

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Medieval Writer on Same Sex Marriage

by Steve Ray on November 24, 2008

From my friend and canon lawyer Ed Peters: For those interested in how historical texts might be plumbed for insights into contemporary debates, I provide here an interesting passage from a famous medieval canonical treatise which rejects “same sex marriage” centuries before it was even contemplated. See: http://www.canonlaw.info/2008/11/same-sex-marriage-in-medieval-canon-law.html

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Women Priests, a Canon Lawyer Speaks

by Steve Ray on October 8, 2008

My friend and Canon Lawyer Ed Peters on a recent priest’s comment on Women’s Ordination: Fr. Theodore Hesburgh’s recent interview with the Wall Street Journal is getting some attention in the Catholic blogosphere, and it should: the WSJ article presents a casus classicus of how priestly ministry disappeared under the allure of social activism for [...]

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Priestless Sundays and the Sunday Obligation

by Steve Ray on October 6, 2008

From Canon Lawyer Ed Peters: A news story out of the Diocese of Fairbanks in Alaska describes an upcoming “priestless Sunday” wherein priests will be away from their parishes to serve remote missions, leaving their parishioners without Sunday Mass that weekend. I can see arguments for and against this unusual action and I don’t think [...]

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Honk if you’ve Had Enough of Rogue Bishop Malingo

by Steve Ray on September 9, 2008

From Canon Lawyer Ed Peters: In 2006 Abp. Emmanuel Milingo was excommunicated for illicitly ordaining married men to the episcopate. Now, Abp. Milingo is traipsing through his native Zambia trying to get Catholic priests to agitate for an end to priestly celibacy in the Roman Church. The excommunicated archbishop assures clergy not to worry about [...]

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3 Hour Fast before Mass, hum?

by Steve Ray on June 26, 2008

Canon Lawyer Ed Peters is proposing a 3-hour fast before Mass, and calculated from the beginning of Mass and not the beginning of communion. Hum! See what you think. Ed Peters wrote, I just published a short article in Antiphon Magazine proposing that the Communion fast be extended to three hours (up from one) and [...]

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Archbishop Burke Restores a Rebel

by Steve Ray on June 6, 2008

There is a Polish Catholic church in St. Louis that rebelled agains Archbishop Burke and they were all excommunicated. One of the board members who was part of the rebellion broke rankes with the rebels and was reconciled with the Church through the ministry of Archbishop Burke. What a great bishop this is! We could [...]

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