Catholic Discipline
Catholic Discipline
From the book The Clergyman’s Hand-book of Law, about Catholic Discipline (1): A church member has no right to sue any one in holy orders in the civil court without leave. That is, a layman or priest should obtain leave of the bishop to sue a priest. In some countries it is ground for excommunication to violate the rule. This rule is analogous to the general rule that a sovereign state can not be sued without its consent (Beers v. Arkansas, 20 How., U. S., 527; 15 L. Ed., 991). In this country, where there is no ecclesiastical court recognized in law, leave is rarely asked (See “Benefit of the Clergy” and “Forum Ecclesiasticum,” in The Catholic Cyclopedia and in the Catholic Dictionary).
Resources
Notes and References
- Charles M. Scanlan, The Clergyman’s Hand-book of Law. The Law of Church and Grave (1909), Benziger Brothers, New York, Cincinnati, Chicago
See Also
- Religion
- Church
Leave a Reply