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Reviewed by:
  • Il Codice delle Chiese Orientali: la Storia le Legislazioni Particolari le Prospettive Ecumenicheby Pontificio Consiglio per i Testi Legislativi
  • Thomas J. Green
Il Codice delle Chiese Orientali: la Storia le Legislazioni Particolari le Prospettive Ecumeniche, by Pontificio Consiglio per i Testi Legislativi. Rome: Libreria Editrice Vaticana, 2011. Pp. 5-486.

On October 8-9, 2010 the Pontifical Council for the Interpretation of Legislative Texts sponsored a study meeting in Rome on the occasion of the twentieth anniversary of the promulgation of the Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches. The Council was joined in this academic enterprise by the Pontifical Oriental Institute as well as by two other Roman dicasteries (the Congregation for the Oriental Churches and the Pontifical Council for the Promotion of the Unity of Christians). The purpose of the study meeting was to analyze the present situation of the basic juridical order that undergirds the various Eastern sui iurischurches. After an initial celebrative and historical approach, whose goal was to underline the historical meaning and importance of the Eastern code, the meeting's basic objective was to evaluate the normative development that code generated in reference to the legislative competencies of the various sui iurischurches. This goal reflected the strong emphasis on the importance of particular law throughout the Eastern code. Then the meeting focused on ecumenical issues in view of the equally forceful emphasis of the Eastern code revision principles on the special ecumenical role of such churches. Within the perspective of ecumenical dialogue the studies highlight the juridic tradition lived by the Church of the East, which offers a language that can be received as common by the Eastern churches not in full communion with the Church of Rome.

This extensive volume contains twenty-two contributions by curial officials and Eastern law scholars, generally in Italian. Because of that extensiveness this review will simply highlight some of its key themes. Four introductory essays clarify the purpose of the study meeting (25-31), the two decades of implementation of the Eastern code (33-41), its ecumenical relevance (43-50), and the way in which Eastern law is currently taught (51-57).

Three historical studies offer very useful insights on the history of Eastern law including the drafting process in the 70s and 80s. A particularly thoughtful and well annotated study elaborates on the history and meaning of the Eastern code (61-115). It is followed by articles on the newness of the Eastern code in light of the principles guiding its drafting (117-136) and the legislative capacity of the Eastern churches (137-155). [End Page 303]

A particularly distinctive feature of the volume is a series of eight articles on experiences of different sui iurischurches in drafting their own law. Among those churches are the Copts (159-171), the Maronites (173-193), the Armenians (195-222), the Syro-Malabars (223-242), the Melchites (243-248), the Ukrainian Greek Catholics (249-271), the Romanian Greek Catholics (273-304), and other churches of the Byzantine tradition (305-344).

Two essays address properly ecumenical aspects of the revised law. One assesses the varied ecumenical dimension of the Eastern code (347-371), and the other considers the possibilities of codification of law among Orthodox canonists (373-379).

Finally the volume contains five communications, generally somewhat shorter pieces on different themes pertinent to the study meeting's overall focus. Four communications address properly academic themes: communicatio in sacris(383-392), territorial considerations in Eastern canon law (393-411), canonical provisions of various ecumenical councils especially in sacramental discipline (413-421), and the relevance of the Council in Trullo to the Eastern code and to the ecumenical movement (423-442). A final brief piece pays tribute to the late Monsignor Eleutherio Fortino, a key staff person for many years in the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity (443-446).

The volume closes with indices of persons and canons cited throughout the work. This reviewer would also like to have seen an index of the various issues it treats, but such is not the case. Despite this caveatthis work can be strongly recommended to all scholars of Eastern law and of comparative Eastern and Latin...

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