On the participation of a party’s legal representative in their examination in canonical proceedings – an analysis based on a case study
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.15633/acan.21102Keywords:
church tribunal, procurator, advocat, can. 1534, can. 1561, can. 1483Abstract
This paper examines whether a party’s procurator can be present during the party’s interrogation in trials before a church tribunal. The study is based on an analysis of the provisions of the Code of Canon Law, with particular reference to canons 1534 and 1561. The author questions the interpretation of the diocesan court, which, in a particular case, refused the participation of a procurator in the questioning of a party, relying on only the literal wording of canon 1561. The article presents a rich argumentation in favor of the author’s position based on systemic and functional interpretation, pointing out the necessity of the appropriate application of the rules on witnesses to the questioning of parties, and provides other arguments that this interpretation better achieves the goals of the canon law system, including the protection of the rights of the faithful. In addition, the article discusses the possibility of ad hoc appointment of a procurator as an advocate, which could solve the problem of his presence during the interrogation. The article concludes that the tribunal’s decision not to allow an attorney to participate in the party’s interrogation was wrong.
References
Ad can. 88 § 4, „Communicationes” 10 (1978), s. 269.
Code of Canon Law Annotated: Prepared under the Responsibility of the Instituto Martín de Azpilcueta, ed. E. Caparros, M. Thériault, J. Thorn, H. Aubé, 2nd ed., rev. and updated of the 6th Spanish language edition, Montréal 2004.
Codex Iuris Canonici Pii X Pontificis Maximi iussu digestus Benedicti Papæ XV auctoritate promulgatus, 27.05.1917, „Acta Apostolicæ Sedis” 9 (1917) pars 2, s. 1–593.
Kodeks prawa kanonicznego promulgowany przez papieża Jana Pawła II w dniu 25 stycznia 1983 roku. Stan prawny na dzień 18 maja 2022 r. Zaktualizowany przekład na język polski, zatwierdzony przez Konferencję Episkopatu Polski, Poznań 2022.
Kroczek P., The Art of Legislation: the Principles of Lawgiving in the Church, Kraków 2017.
Morawski L., Zasady wykładni prawa, Toruń 2002.
Pogorzelski W. A., Klasyczny rachunek zdań. Zarys teorii, Warszawa 1975.
Rosen K. H., Discrete Mathematics and Its Applications, New York 2019.
The Canon Law Letter & Spirit: A Practical Guide to the Code of Canon Law, London 1995.
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2025 Kinga Karsten
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
The author declares that he owns the copyright to the work (article) and that it is not limited in the scope covered by the above declaration and that the work (article) is an original work and does not infringe the copyright of other persons.
The author allows the Pontifical University of John Paul II in Krakow to use the paper free of charge, non-exclusive and unlimited in time by, i.e.:
– keeping in records and reproduction of the copies of the work using printing, reprography, magnetic recording and digital technology;
– trade in the original or copies on which the work has been recorded (introduction to the market, lending or rental of the original or copies, public exhibition, display, as well as making the work available to the public in such a way that everyone can have access to it in a place and at a time chosen by them);
– inclusion of the work in a collective work;
– granting by the Pontifical University of John Paul II in Krakow a Creative Commons Sub-licence Authorship Recognition-Non-commercial Use-No Subsidiaries 3.0 Poland
The Pontifical University of John Paul II in Krakow makes the work available on the Magazine Platform of the university under the Creative Commons Attribution-Non-commercial Use-No Subsidiary Works 3.0 Poland license.
Thus, it entitles all interested parties to use the work under the following conditions:
- the author and the title of the work will be given,
- the place of publication (journal title and internet address of the originally published work) will be indicated,
- the work will be distributed in a non-commercial manner,
- no dependent works will be created.
