Canonical Aspects of Marriage

"Marriage is a covenant by which a man and a woman establish between themselves a partnership of the whole of life, which, by its very nature, is ordered toward the good of the spouses and toward the procreation and education of offspring, and which, between the baptized, has been raised by Christ the Lord to the dignity of a sacrament."
  (canon 1055, Gaudiam et Spes, 48)."

This category namely Canonical Aspects of Marriage is to feature the Canon Law on marriage and family, laws on annulment of marriage, dissolution of marriage, etc.

Canon Law

The Canon Law is the set of rules and regulations of the Christian Church, especially the Roman Catholic Church, the Greek Orthodox Church, and the Anglican Church. The Canon Law extends over several branches of the Church such as faith, religious practices, the clergy, the laity, sacraments, marriage and the family, local/regional laws, etc.

The origin of the Canon Law is sought in the declarations of Jesus and the apostles, meaning that the Canon Law is divine in its origin.

The condensed form of the Canon Law was originally promulgated in 1917, and was known as the Codex Juris Canonici (Code of Canon Law).

In 1983, Pope John Paul II issued a new canon law code that reduced offences carrying automatic excommunication, extended the grounds for annulment of marriage, removed the ban on marriage with non-Catholics, and banned trade union and political activities by priests. This is known as the Codex Iuris Canonici (CIC - Code of Canon Law).

Canon Law of Eastern Churches (CCEO)

Eastern Catholic Churches (Oriental Catholic Churches) follow a separate code of canon law, which is very similar to that of the Roman Catholic Church (Roman code), has only minor differences from the Roman code, and is approved by the Roman Catholic Church. Pope Pius XII in 1948 promulgated the initial code of the Eastern canon law under the name Codex Iuris Canonici Orientalis (Code of Eastern Canon Law). The Eastern code was fully promulgated in 1990 and is known as the "Codex Canonum Ecclesiarum Orientalium" (CCEO), a Latin phrase that means "Code of Canons of the Eastern Churches".

Note: The Italicized words above are Latin phrases.

Canonical Aspects of Marriage

The term "canonical" means conforming to the canon law. Canonical aspects of marriage are the aspects of marriage set by the canon law, or simply the Canon Law on Marriage.

Canon Law on Marriage and the Family

The part of the Canon Law dealing with marriage and the family, including annulment, is known as the Canon Law on Marriage and the Family.

The code of the Canon Law dealing with Marriage and the Family includes: Canon law on marriage, sacramental nature of marriage, requirements of marriage, formalities of marriage, impediments of marriage, grounds for nullity of marriage, rights of persons involved in marriage, the role of the family in the Church, etc.

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