Catholic Education for All Catholic Children: Canon 1374 and the Limits of Church Authority

Canon 1374 was the section of the 1917 Code of Canon Law that prohibited Catholics from attending non-Catholic educational institutions. Enacted at a time of increasing hostility to the Catholic Church, it built upon previous efforts by the Vatican to limit exposure to forces deemed inimical to the faith. The promulgation of Canon 1374 was roughly concurrent with the enactment of compulsory schooling laws in the United States, and was invoked by some dioceses, parishes, and religious orders to attract educational enrollments and, in at least one instance, to achieve racial desegregation. Overall, however, the canon’s impact was limited by inconsistent enforcement and by various economic, cultural, and geographic constraints on access to Catholic education. Yet Canon 1374 remains noteworthy as a reflection of both the strong Catholic commitment to education and of the limits of the church’s ability to ensure compliance with its laws.