As a legal principle states, law follows life. The Dicastery for Legislative Texts, in particular, promotes and disseminates within the Church the knowledge and acceptance of the canon law of the Latin Church and that of the Eastern Churches, and offers assistance for its correct application. The Prefect is Archbishop Filippo Iannone; the Secretary is Archbishop Juan Ignacio Arrieta Ochoa de Chinchetru.

Skills

The Dicastery for Legislative Texts fulfills its functions primarily in the service of the Pope, the supreme legislator. As recalled in the Apostolic Constitution  “Praedicate Evangelium ,” it is the responsibility of this Dicastery to formulate the authentic interpretation of the laws of the Church, specifically approved by the Pontiff, after consulting, on matters of greater importance, the curial institutions and offices of the Roman Curia competent in the issues under consideration.

The Dicastery, in studying the current legislation of the Latin Church and the Eastern Churches, and in accordance with requests it receives regarding ecclesial practice, examines the possible presence of  lacunae legis  (legal gaps) and presents the Pope with appropriate proposals to overcome them. This body is in contact with the various Church authorities, particularly the Dicasteries of the Roman Curia and the Episcopal Conferences, in order to identify the need for possible changes in norms or to receive suggestions. Special attention is also paid to correct canonical practice, so that Church law is properly understood and correctly applied.

Historical notes

The Dicastery for Legislative Texts emerged in the context of the canonical codification of 1917. In that year, with the Motu Proprio  Cum iuris canonici , Benedict XV instituted the Pontifical Commission for the authentic interpretation of the Code of Canon Law:

“Following the example of our predecessors, who entrusted the interpretation of the decrees of the Council of Trent to a special assembly of cardinal fathers —this document reads—, we institute a Council, or a Commission, which will have the exclusive right to pronounce on the authentic interpretation of the canons of the Code.”

• 1963:  John XXIII instituted the Pontifical Commission for the revision of the Code of Canon Law, in order to prepare, in light of the decrees of the Second Vatican Council, the reform of the Code promulgated by Benedict XV.
• 1967:  Paul VI establishes the Pontifical Commission for the Interpretation of the Decrees of the Second Vatican Council.
• 1984:  John Paul II, with the Motu Proprio  Recognito Iuris Canonici Codice  of January 2, instituted the Pontifical Commission for the authentic interpretation of the Code of Canon Law.
• 1988:  With the Apostolic Constitution  Pastor Bonus  of June 28, the Commission was transformed into the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts, with a broader and more articulated competence.
• 2022:  With the Apostolic Constitution  Praedicate Evangelium , promulgated on June 5 (which repealed  Pastor Bonus ), the Pontifical Council for Legislative Texts becomes the  Dicastery for Legislative Texts .

Law, mercy, and charity

The skills required for those working within this Dicastery are linked to the legal field. An academic degree in Canon Law is required, as well as a certain knowledge of modern languages, in addition to Latin, to be able to handle requests for consultation from various countries. Generally, officials who join the Dicastery already have considerable experience in this area of ​​Church life, having carried out ministries in their dioceses or institutes (if they are religious) that presuppose knowledge of Canon Law.

In addition to technical skills, a specific perspective is also necessary. Promoting knowledge of Canon Law means, above all, understanding that it differs from other legal systems: it is founded, in fact, on natural law and divine law, which ultimately represent the parameters of justice that ecclesiastical authority must follow.

Therefore, canon law grants those in authority all the necessary tools to adapt the rigor and demands of the law to justice in the specific case. And, above all, canon law is enlivened by a constant exhortation:  not to forget the demands of charity and mercy when applying the law . As Saint Thomas Aquinas emphasizes:

“Mercy without justice is the mother of dissolution; justice without mercy is cruelty.”

(Translation made while maintaining fidelity to the original text published in  Vatican News  )

1. State Secretariat
2. Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith
3. Dicastery for Bishops
4. Dicastery for the Clergy
5. Dicastery for the Service of Charity
6. Dicastery for Institutes of Consecrated Life and Societies of Apostolic Life
7. Dicastery for the Causes of Saints
8. The Dicastery for Promoting Christian Unity
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14. Dicastery for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments
15. Dicastery for Evangelization
16. Dicastery for Culture and Education
17. The Apostolic Library and the Apostolic Archive
18. Dicastery for Legislative Texts