Folia Canonica 4. (2001)

STUDIES - John D. Faris: A Canonical Examination of the Acquisition, Consequences and Loss of Membership in a Church - A Catholic Perspective

MEMBERSHIP IN A CHURCH

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church to another; the majority of these interecclesial norms are found in CCEO Title II, “Churches Sui laris and Rites,” (cc. 27-41).

Ecclésial Membership and Nomenclature

Neither the CCEO nor the C/C employ the term “member” (membrum or sodalis)K with reference to ecclesial membership. Instead, both codes speak of incorporatio (“incorporation”) with reference to membership in the Church of Christ18 19 and in plena communione (“in full communion”) with reference to membership in the Catholic Church.20 Both codes employ the term ascriptio (“ascription”) in treating ecclesial membership in a Church sui iuris.21

With regard to ecclesial membership, the CCEO employs the following nomenclature in categorizing persons:

A person who is not baptized, i.e., not a member of the Church of Christ, is referred to with the term non baptizatus (e.g., CCEO c. 803 § 1 ) or homo nondum baptizatus (e.g., CCEO c. 679). A non-baptized person who is preparing for baptism is designated as a catechumenus (c. 9) and is granted certain prerogatives of baptized persons.

A member of the Christian Church is designated as baptizatus (e.g., CCEO

c. 8), christianus (e.g. CCEO c. 9 §2) or christifidelis (a term applied both to members of Catholic Churches [e.g., CCEO c. 19] and also to members of other Churches or ecclesial communions [e.g., CCEO c. 897]).

A Christian who is not a member of a Catholic Church, is designated as acatholicus (e.g., CCEO c. 681 §4), acatholicus baptizatus (e.g. CCEO c. 896) or christianus acatholicus (e.g., CCEO c. 681 §5). On occasion, a distinction is made between a Christian who is a member of an Eastern non-Catholic Church (e.g., CCEO c. 897) and one who is a member of a non-Eastern, non-Catholic Church (e.g., CCEO c. 901), i.e., Christians of Protestant churches or communities.

A member of the Communion of Catholic Churches is designated as a catholicus (e.g., CCEO c. 834 §2) or christifidelis (see above) without regard for the distinctions of gender, sacred orders or membership in an institute of consecrated life. A distinction is also made between a Catholic enrolled in an Eastern Catholic Church and in the Latin Church (e.g. CCEO c. 834 §2).

18 The Pontifical Commission for the Revision of the Code of Eastern Canon Law addressed the issue of the use of the Latin equivalents of member, i.e., membrum and sodalis (cf. Nuntia 21 [1985] 76), but the discussion is not relevant to this topic.

19 CCEO c. 7 §1 and C/C c. 204 §1.

20 CCEO c. 8 and CIC c. 205.

21 See CCEO c. 29 § 1 and CIC c. 111 §1.