Associations of Christ’s Faithful, livre ebook

It is a cause of special satisfaction for me to preface the English version of the work Associations of Christ’s Faithful, by His Eminence Cardinal Lluís Martínez Sistach, Metropolitan Archbishop of Barcelona since the year 2004, called by the Holy Father Benedict XVI to become a member of the College of Cardinals in 2007. This work has already reached the outstanding number of five Spanish editions and has been translated into Italian and German. The writer of these pages, who has been President of the Spanish Association of Canonists, has also published numerous works on canon law and several ecclesial issues in reviews. The value of this work consists in harmoniously combining accuracy in the presentation of its anthropological, theological and legal arguments with notable clarity in writing, which makes it a pleasure to read. The author knows how to make accessible this topic to all, which is still extremely relevant to the life of the Church. This is not a book devoted only to academics and experts, but also to a great number of people interested in learning and delving into the diverse aspects presented by the current canon law related to associations. Besides paying special attention to the anthropological and ecclesiological fundamentals of the right of association of the faithful, the author examines in great detail the new norms concerning the associations of the faithful contained in the Code of Canon Law of 1983 (Book II, Part I, Title V, cc. 298–329), which are completely different from the Code of 1917. The most significant innovation of the Code of 1983 with regard to associations of the faithful consists, no doubt, in the distinction between public and private associations of the Church, a topic which the author thoroughly examines, analyzing the legal regime in both categories of ecclesial associations. The canons concerning the associations of the faithful contained in the Code of Canon Law constitute the normative frame of these entities at the level of the universal Church, to which they are subject. At the same time, the statutes the associations of Christ’s faithful must have hold a special importance. The statutes establish the ecclesial and legal features proper to each association, and are therefore their own particular set of laws. The author devotes a specific chapter to the statutes of the associations of Christ’s faithful, making reference to the essential elements they must contain.