MVV19468K Canon Law

Faculty of Law
Spring 2025
Extent and Intensity
0/2/0. 3 credit(s). Type of Completion: k (colloquium).
In-person direct teaching
Teacher(s)
prof. Damián Němec, Dr. (lecturer)
Ing. Mgr. Jaroslav Benák, Ph.D. (assistant)
Guaranteed by
Ing. Mgr. Jaroslav Benák, Ph.D.
Department of Constitutional Law and Political Science – Faculty of Law
Contact Person: Andrea Špačková, DiS.
Supplier department: Department of Constitutional Law and Political Science – Faculty of Law
Prerequisites
The course contains basic information on canon law, especially of the Catholic Church: a brief summary of the historical development of canon law, an introduction to general legal principles, the structure of administration, the discipline of the sacraments (including in detail the formation and duration of marriage), issues of education and upbringing, the law of property, criminal and procedural law. The course is intended primarily for students of the Faculty of Law, for whom it will provide a basic introduction to the legal material of canon law, which has significantly shaped Western legal thought, and to the legal system of the largest Christian churches in the Czech Republic. The target group may also include students of other faculties interested in the regulation of the life of Christian churches (especially in the Czech Republic), especially the faculties of Arts and Education.
Course Enrolment Limitations
The course is only offered to the students of the study fields the course is directly associated with.

The capacity limit for the course is 30 student(s).
Current registration and enrolment status: enrolled: 0/30, only registered: 73/30
fields of study / plans the course is directly associated with
Course objectives
Graduates of the course will be able to understand the basic concepts and institutes of canon law and the structure of the largest Christian churches in the Czech Republic, identify the authority acting for individual legal entities and know the basic procedures in these churches.
Learning outcomes
Graduates of the course will be able to understand the basic concepts and institutes of canon law and the structure of the largest Christian churches in the Czech Republic, identify the authority acting for individual legal entities and know the basic procedures in these churches.
Syllabus
  • 1. Introduction, methodology, Jewish roots of canon law, Christianity, church and churches, history of canonistic, the most important historical and currently valid collections of canon law.
  • 2. The division of the Catholic Church into churches sui iuris and rites, general norms - specifics of canon law, natural persons - affiliation to the church, ability to iuridic action, division into clerics, lay people and consecrated persons.
  • 3. The government of the Catholic Church of the Western Rite and the Eastern Rites.
  • 4. The most important topics of the sacramental discipline of the Catholic Church (baptism and confirmation, eucharist, sacrament of reconciliation, anointing of the sick, sacrament of order).
  • 5. The concept of marriage, development of conception of marriage goals, theory of incention of marriage, types of marriage, preparation for marriage, form of celebration of marriage and its defects, post-marriage proceedings.
  • 6. Prohibitions of marriage, obstacles to valid marriage.
  • 7. Marital consent and its defects.
  • 8. Convalidation of marriage, separation of spouses while maintaining marriage, termination of marriage.
  • 9. Legal status of children and parents, Catholic education, catechesis and mission, church schools.
  • 10. Property law; criminal law, procedural law, especially declaration of nullity of marriage.
  • 11. The legal order of the Evangelical Church of Czech Brethren, especially the structure of government.
  • 12. The legal order of the Czechoslovak Hussite Church and the Orthodox Church in the Czech lands and Slovakia, especially the governance structure.
Literature
    recommended literature
  • BENEDIKT XVI. Apoštolský list daný z vlastního popudu (motu proprio) Omnium in mentem, kterým se zavádějí některé změny v Kodexu kanonického práva (26. 10. 2009)
  • PAPEŽ FRANTIŠEK. Apoštolský list vydaný z vlastního rozhodnutí (motu proprio) Mitis iudex Dominus Iesus o reformě kanonického řízení v záležitostech prohlášení neplatnosti manželství v Kodexu kanonického práva (15. 8. 2015).
  • TRETERA, Rajmund Jiří and Záboj HORÁK. Církevní právo. 2. přepracované a doplněn. Praha: Leges, 2021, 440 stran. ISBN 9788075025357. info
  • DUDA, Ján. Manželské právo katolíckej cirkvi v kontexte súčasnosti. Vydání první v nakladatel. Praha: Leges, 2021, 207 stran. ISBN 9788075025630. info
  • FRANTIŠEK. Amoris laetitia: posynodální apoštolská exhortace o lásce v rodině. 1. vyd. Praha: Paulínky, 2016. ISBN 978-80-7450-225-5. info
  • HRDINA, Ignác Antonín. Kanonické právo : dějiny pramenů, teorie, platné právo. Plzeň: Vydavatelství a nakladatelství Aleš Čeněk, 2011, 367 s. ISBN 9788073801526. info
  • NĚMEC, Damián. Manželské právo katolické církve : s ohledem na platné české právo. 1. vyd. Kostelní Vydří: Karmelitánské nakladatelství, 2006, 215 s. ISBN 8071950653. info
  • Codex iuris canonici. Edited by Jan Pavel, Translated by Miroslav Zedníček. 1. vyd. Praha: Zvon, 1994, xxiii, 812. ISBN 8071130826. info
Teaching methods
Teaching will take place in six-hour blocks four times per semester.
Assessment methods
Oral colloquium.
Language of instruction
Czech
Further Comments
The course is taught annually.
The course is taught: in blocks.
The course is also listed under the following terms Spring 2018, Spring 2019, Spring 2020, Spring 2021, Spring 2022, Spring 2023, Spring 2024.
  • Enrolment Statistics (recent)
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