Even in law, there is an important distinction that must be made. There is law that is discipline that is not based on dogma. Yet, there is a BUT.
There is a point in canon law that was built in to safeguard the papacy. It says that you cannot appeal a law that the Pope makes. Just to be silly, let us say that the Pope himself makes a law that says every Catholic must wear a red bandana to mass on Sunday and he promulgates it under pain of sin. There is no appeal. You either wear the red bandana or you’re in a state of sin.
There are such laws in the Church. Most of them apply to the relationship between religious and laity. Therefore, most of us are unfamiliar with them, because lay people usually skip the section in Canon Law that speaks about religious and secular institutes. And most lay people are commpletely unfamiliar with the Rules of Life in Religion and Constitutions that govern religious and secular institutes.
For example: Augustinians, Benedictines, Carmelites, Franciscans, and Basilians in the East have a Rule of Life. These rules were written by the founder or the organizer of the order. The Popes placed Bulls on these Holy Rules so that no one can change them, not even the religious in those orders. Only the Pope can change them. The only thing that the members of these communities can do is to study every chapter of the rule and find ways of complying with it in their particular circumstances. Even when they write these down, they are called Constitutions and they have to be approved by the Holy See.
Neither the laity, the clergy or the bishops may overrule these laws once they are approved by a Pope. When these religious enter a diocese it is with the understanding that they are what they are. The laity and the bishops must accept them as they are and as they live or not at all. But they cannot demand that they accommodate to the needs of the diocese or of the laity. The primary obligation of these men and women is to follow the rule of their community under pain of mortal sin or excommunication. These are called communities of Pontifical Right. The only person who has the right to exercise authority over them is the Pontif.
These laws were made by Popes and are binding under pain of mortal sin, until such time as a Pope comes along and changes them.
The same applies for marriage. The requirements for marriage are approved by the Holy Father. They are not from scripture nor are they revealed dogmas. But they are binding under pain of mortal sin and excommunication. You must comply with certain requirements or your marriage is invalid. Those requirements remain in place until the next time the laws are changed. If you do not comply with those requirements, you cannot get married.
The law of the Friday abstinence was one of them. This law only applied to certain countries. In those countries where it applied, it applied under mortal sin. In other countries it never existed. Then Pope Paul VI eliminated the law and made Fridays a day of penance, but took away the pain of sin.
So you see, there are laws that you can disagree with, but if you do not comply, you are in serious moral trouble.
Going back to religious. Any lay person, priest or bishop who attempts to interfere in the internal affairs of a religious community of Pontifical Right can be punished by the Church. This happened when many religious communities of women received permission from the Holy See to dress in secular clothing and lay people and bishops tried to protest. The Holy See would not hear them out. These communities enjoyed the protection of the papacy and their constitutions were approved by the Holy See. Then came John Paul II and asked all new religious communities of sisters to wear some kind of habit or distinctive garb. He put some parameters in, that Paul VI had removed as an experiment. Catholics must accept both judgments as correct.
Paul VI wanted to experiment with a return to the roots of religious life. John Paul II waited several years and realized that the experiment did not produce the desired results and wrote new parameters. This is the perrogotive of each Pope. In neither case can anyone appeal.
Like these, there are many points in Canon Law and outside of Canon Law that are the perrogative of the Pope, a bishop or a major religious superior and they are not up for discussion. One can disagree, but one cannot ignore them. One can only disagree until one is told to “shut up.”
For example, in my community the rule says very clearly that we obey with blind love anything that is not a sin, whether it comes from the Pope, a Major Superior or a local superior. We obey the bishop in those areas where he has the right to intervene. To obey with blind love, means that we obey and we do it with love, not grudgingly. If you do it grudgingly, you are lacking in internal discipline. Your mind and soul must always be ready to obey with love and joy. You should have that under control by the time you finish your period of formation.
Are these things infallible? Usually not, unless they come directly from scripture, morals or revealed dogma. If they are disciplinary practices, they are not infallible, but they carry ordinary authority and must be obeyed under pain of sin. No one can disobey a pope, a bishop or a major religious superior when he or she exercises their legitimate authority within their jurisdiction. It is rare that they will give orders binding under sin, but they can do so.
This is an interesting topic. Not all of these are covered in the Catehcism of the Catholic Church, because it’s too much information. We would need a library to keep it all. LOL
Fraternally,
JR
