226. Subsidiarity and Layered Structure of the Church
Subsidiarity is connected to the spirituality of canon law because it promotes the participation of the entire faithful and prevents unnecessary centralisation.
225. The Fifth Principle: The Principle of Subsidiarity
The principle of subsidiarity also applies to Church governance because the Church is a society structured in layers—parish, diocese, province, and episcopal conference.
224. Faculties Granted to Papal Legates in Mission Territories
The main function of a pontifical legate is “to continually make stronger and more effective the bonds of unity which exist between the Apostolic See and particular churches” (Can. 364).
223. Special faculties granted to De Propaganda Fide (6 October 2025)
The dicastery has been granted several special faculties, as certain circumstances in mission territories necessitate a degree of flexibility from the Church’s universal norms.
222. The Fourth Principle: Dispensations
The fourth principle aligns with the spirituality of canon law because it empowers diocesan bishops and local ordinaries to dispense the faithful from universal and particular disciplinary laws when doing so contributes to the faithful’s spiritual well-being.
221. Spirituality of Canon Law and Precepts of the Church
Precepts fit into the spirituality of canon law because they are commands from the competent authority imposed on the faithful to help promote Christian life and deepen the faithful’s relationship with God
220. Spirituality of Canon Law and Extraordinary Ministers of Communion
The faculty is granted exclusively in favour of the spiritual good of the faithful and for cases of genuine need.
219. Spirituality of canon law and Ecclesia supplet
Ecclesia supplet is a manifestation of the spirituality of canon law because it is a preventive intervention the Church puts in place to protect the faithful from the ill effects of invalid acts and promote the common good.
218. Spirituality of canon law and abortion: Pope Francis
Pope Francis’ intervention demonstrates the spirituality of canon law because it removed the bottleneck hindering reconciliation for abortion penitents, thereby facilitating their access to absolution and improving their spiritual well-being and journey of holiness.
217. Sanatio in radice in marriage
Sanation helps lift this spiritual burden alongside the worry about the juridical effects of living without a valid matrimonial contract.