Folia Canonica 2. (1999)

NEWS IN BRIEF - Varghese Koluthara: Institute of Oriental Canon Law at Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram, Bangalore, India

NEWS IN BRIEF

Folia Canonica 2 (1999) 277-282.

VARGHESE KOLUTHARA

INSTITUTE OF ORIENTAL CANON LAW AT DHARMARAM VIDYA KSHETRAM (BANGALORE, INDIA)

The Congregation for Catholic Education, Rome, through its decree of 29 March 1999, has constituted an institute for conferring master’s degree (Licentiate) in Oriental Canon Law (MOCL) at Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram (DVK), Bangalore. Dharmaram Vidya Kshetram (DVK) is a Pontifical Athenaeum having the faculties of philosophy and theology and is established at Dharmaram College, Bangalore, the central study house of the Carmelites of Mary Immaculate (CMI). Since 1957 DVK has been at the service of the Church in India especially in the filed of the philosophical and theological formation of clerical students. At present, about 700 students, clerical and religious, both men and women from all sui iuris Churches in India, undergo philosophical and theological training at DVK. The Faculties of Philosophy and Theology offer Masters and Doctorate programmes from students from India and abroad. DVK has its extension centres in Wardha and Bhopal, as well as two affiliated institutions in Bangalore.

In the context of the ever increasing importance of specialization and research in Canon Law especially the canonical discipline of the Eastern Churches and taking into account the facilities DVK has for creatively contributing to the overall progress of the Church in India, particularly the Eastern Churches, a new institute in DVK under the name Institute of Oriental Canon Law, aggregated to the Pontifical Oriental Institute, Rome, was formally inaugurated on 14 July 1999 by Archbishop Varkey Vithayathil C.Ss.R, Apostolic Administrator of the Syro-Malabar Major Archiépiscopal Church and the Chancellor of DVK. Delivering the inaugural address the archbishop said that the beginning of the institute is a historical landmark in the history of the Church in India. “The institute itself is a great recognition to the Syro- Malabar Church”, said the archbishop. “Being the most vibrant and dynamic among the Oriental Catholic Churches, the Syro-Malabar Church can contribute to the science of canon law and to the universal Church. The purpose of laws in the Church is not to make one legalistic. All laws of the Church are at the service of charity which is the supreme law. The concern for charity may even ask us to go beyond