CANON LAW

The canon law which regulates the discipline of the Romish Church consists, 1. Of the Decree of Gratian, ( Decretum Gratiani ,) a compilation made by a Benedictine monk, whose name it bears, at Bologna in Italy, in 1150, and made up of the decrees of different popes and councils, and of several pa ages of the holy fathers and other reputable writers. 2. Of the Decretals , collected by order of Pope Gregory IX., in the year 1230, in five books. 3. Of the compilation made by order of Boniface VIII., in 1297, known by the name of the Sixth Book of Decretals , because added to the other five, although it is itself divided into five books. 4. Of the Clementines , as they are called, or Decretals of Pope Clement V., published in the year 1317 by John XXII. 5. Of other decretals, known under the name of Extra vag antes , so called because not contained in the former decretals. These Extra vag antes are two-fold;—the first, called common, containing constitutions of various popes down to the year 1483; and, secondly, the particular ones of John XXII. These, containing besides the decrees of popes and the canons of several councils, constitute the body of the canon law. The constitutions of subsequent popes and councils have also the force of canons, although not hitherto reduced into one body, nor digested, as the others, under proper heads, by any competent authority. These, together with some general customs, or peculiar ones of different places, having the force of laws, and certain conventions entered into between the popes and different Roman Catholic states, determine the discipline of the Church of Rome.