So what happens, as in the case of my own parish, where the plot of land and the Church building itself was bought. built and paid for, entirely out of funds raised by local parishioners? I also believe that the deeds of the Church building are held in a trust, and legal protection clauses were put in place to protect the land from being used for any other purpose, but as a place of worship. Every single penny ever used to buy, build and maintain that Church has come from the parishioners.
It depends on how the deed is written up. If the deed is in the name of the diocese, the bishop is the legal representative of the diocese. For civil purposes, the property belongs to the diocese. For canonical purposes, it belongs to the bishop, because the diocese belongs to the bishop. It must be understood that bishop here means the ordinary. If you have a bishop and some auxiliaries, the auxiliaries have no legal authority over the property.
I have known cases where land is donated for the sole purpose of religious use and there is a clause that says that the diocese must return it to the original estate when it no longer wishes to use it for religious use.
I have never seen property owned by the parishioners and held in trust by a diocese. It can certainly happen. Just because I’ve never seen it, does not mean that it has never happened.
One thing in Church law is clear. It’s a spin off one of the commandments of the Church, which is to support the Church. The laity has the moral obligation to financially support the Church without any interest in return. In other words, the laity cannot say to the Church that the community surrounding the parish owns the parish.
This was a problem that the American Church had in early days. The Protestants use this model. There is a board of some kind that holds the property in trust for the congregation. Later, after Vatican II, may people wanted to go back to that model using the parish council, which was not what Vatican II said. Parish councils are advisory only.
The same applies to religious orders. The laity has a moral obligation to financially support the apostolic work of religious orders, but may not have any vested interest in the use of the money. You donate money to the Sisters of X for a new school. In 25 years they decide to sell the school. Only the donor can put conditions on his donation. The people whose money maintained the school during those 25 years do not have a voice in the matter. It’s all between the superior and the religious community, not even the bishop can get involved.
1AugustSon7;10534706:
Oh no! Our society’s caffeine dependence is now threatening the monastic discipline and tradition!
And - what’s this !?
- is the Holy Father sitting on an ordinary chair? This must mean Armaggedon. Someone take another hour off of the Doomsday clock.
I think he’d buy local and hand made
Those wooden toothbrushes are nice and coarse with a slight danger of slivers. Mild form of mortification does the soul good!
He can purchase it at the Vatican supermarket. Everything is cheaper there than it is in Rome. There are no sales taxes. :yup:
just wondering if you meant machinations when you said “machinations”
or is there another dictionary definition I’m unaware of?