Folia Theologica 1. (1990)

Péter Erdő: The Theological foundations of Canon Law according to the works of John Henry Newman

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P. ERDŐ

Conclusion

At the conclusion of this cursory examination of a few points of Newman’s very rich ecclesiology, certain useful aspects for the current theological discussion of Canon Law can be enumerated:

1. The theological foundations of Canon Law constitute a coherent system in the thought of the Catholic Newman. From the mystery of the Incarnation follows the sacramental principle that renders necessary and carries with it the visible, socio-political unity of the Church. Such a unity requires and presupposes an authority, a power that comes from Revelation, but one that is not detached from natural laws, and that also becomes a social power and an institutionalizing force.

2. The insistence on the cooperation of grace with nature with regard to the institutional life of the Church is typical of Newman’s theory.

3. Equally characteristic is the dialectical equilibrium between the aspect of society and that of communion in the Church. On the one hand the Church is an organized and independent society, because and inasmuch as she is an authority, having a supernatural origin. On the other hand the Church accomplishes her proper supernatural and sacramental office because and in as far as she is a socially visible unity, namely one that is organized, independent and political.

To sum up; Newman’s theology can convey an impetus to rediscover the close bond that exists between the theological bases (given such prominence nowadays), and the reality of the present code of Canon Law.