Reforms to the canonical procedural law proposed by the Spanish metropolitans at the beginning of the canonical codification of 1917

Abstract

The drafting of the first Code of Canon Law of the Latin Catholic Church was ordered by Pope Saint Pius X in 1904. The code was not made by a close group of experts, but considered the opinion of the whole episcopate. Such an opinion was consulted in two different moments. In both, the opinion of Spanish bishops was asked. The contribution of Spanish metropolitans to the first query in 1904, in reference to canonical proceedings is studied in this work. The documentation was obtained from the Vatican Secret Archives.

Keywords: Canon law; Code of Canon Law 1917; Spanish bishops; Spanish Metropolitans; postulata episcoporum; proceedings.