The Canonical Framework for the Exercise of Church Law in Orthodoxy
The Canonical Framework for the Exercise of Church Law in Orthodoxy

Author(s): Cristian-Vasile Petcu
Subject(s): Eastern Orthodoxy, Canon Law / Church Law, Psychology of Religion
Published by: Scientia Moralitas Research Institute
Keywords: church law; church canons; church judgment; church life;
Summary/Abstract: From the beginning of the Church, the Christian faithful, vested with the authority of Jesus Christ and the Holy Apostles, have constantly stressed the importance of divine ordinances. In the Gospel of St John the Apostle, Christ reveals his central role in the work of the Church: "I am the way, the truth and the life" (John 14:6). On the basis of this truth, the Church's right to work for the Kingdom lies in the assumption of Christ, the supreme measure and model of all creation. Therefore, the Canon of the Church is founded on the work and teaching of Christ, the Head who realizes and keeps alive and whole the ecclesiological community. In this perspective, the Church's ordinance is the support of the saving work, the structure in which are methodically and systematically framed the elements of canon law by which the Church organizes and regulates its works in such a way as to contribute to the spiritual development of the Christian community, which is assured that it is always supported to advance on the path of salvation together with the community of believers who have already assumed, in good ordinance, life in Christ through communion with the Holy Mysteries.

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